On June 20, 2016 Kite Pharma, Inc. (NASDAQ:KITE) reported that it has entered into a new Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with the Experimental Transplantation and Immunology Branch (ETIB) of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) for the research and clinical development of T-cell receptor (TCR) product candidates directed against human papillomavirus (HPV)-16 E6 and E7 oncoproteins for the treatment of HPV-associated cancers (Press release, Kite Pharma, JUN 20, 2016, View Source [SID:1234513461]). Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo! Under the CRADA, NCI will evaluate a novel TCR therapy candidate targeting HPV-16 E7 as a monotherapy and in combination with a checkpoint inhibitor in HPV-16 associated solid tumors. This Phase 1/2 clinical study will be led by Christian S. Hinrichs, M.D., from the ETIB and lead investigator of this CRADA. The NCI will also continue to advance a separately designed TCR therapy candidate targeting HPV-16 E6, currently in a Phase 1/2 clinical trial, under an existing CRADA between Kite and the Surgery Branch of the NCI, led by Steven A. Rosenberg, M.D., Ph.D.
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"TCR therapies allow targeting of viral oncoproteins that are not effectively addressed with other existing therapeutic modalities. HPV-16 E6 and E7 TCR therapies hold the potential to address the significant unmet medical need that exists in HPV-associated cancers," said Arie Belldegrun, M.D., FACS, Kite’s Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer. "We are excited to collaborate with the network of talented investigators at the NCI as we advance our HPV-associated cancer therapy pipeline."
About HPV-Associated Cancers
Human papillomavirus (HPV) has a causal role in nearly all cervical cancers, and in many head and neck, and anogenital malignancies. HPV-16 is the most commonly found strain in these cancers. More than 33,000 cases of HPV-associated cancers are diagnosed each year in the US, and more than 11,000 annual deaths are attributed to the diseases, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Current therapies for advanced HPV-associated tumors have low response rates and poor response duration.