On July 20, 2017 Kite Pharma, Inc. (Nasdaq:KITE), a leading cell therapy company, reported the recent online publication of results in Molecular Therapy from a National Cancer Institute (NCI) study of anti-CD19 chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy in patients with aggressive NHL including diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) (Press release, Kite Pharma, JUL 20, 2017, View Source [SID1234519835]). The research, led by James N. Kochenderfer, M.D., an Investigator in the Experimental Transplantation and Immunology Branch of the NCI Center for Cancer Research, and Steven A. Rosenberg, M.D., Ph.D., Chief of the Surgery Branch at NCI’s Center for Cancer Research, was performed pursuant to a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) between NCI and Kite. Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo! This work follows previously published data in the February 2015 issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology in which nine patients with chemorefractory aggressive NHL were treated with a single dose of anti-CD19 CAR T cells with a CD28 co-stimulatory domain. Seven of the 9 patients were evaluable for response. Complete remissions (CR) were observed in 5 of the 7 evaluable patients. Four of the 5 CRs are ongoing from 38 to 56+ months after treatment. There were no chronic toxicities attributable to CAR T cells except B-cell aplasia and hypogammaglobulinemia. Importantly, 3 of 4 patients in ongoing CR had recovery of normal polyclonal B cells, showing that durable CRs can be maintained in the absence of continued activity of anti-CD19 CAR T cells.
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:
Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing
Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!
"We are encouraged to see durable CRs ongoing for more than 3 years, which raises a possibility of cure, from a single infusion of anti-CD19 CAR T cells in patients with chemorefractory DLBCL, a population that previously had no curative treatment options. This study helps us to understand the long-term potential for this anti-CD19 CAR T cell therapy (axicabtagene ciloleucel) in the larger aggressive NHL patient population," said David Chang, M.D., Ph.D., Executive Vice President of Research and Development and Chief Medical Officer of Kite.