On March 5, 2024 AvantGen Inc., a leader in antibody discovery and engineering, reported that it has received the first milestone payment from Kite, a Gilead Company, for the achievement of the first patient dosed in the first Phase 1 clinical trial of a novel CAR-T construct targeting human CD19 that is also engineered to express IL18 (Press release, AvantGen, MAR 5, 2024, View Source [SID1234640769]). This construct was developed in a collaboration between Kite and the University of Pennsylvania (Penn).
The Phase 1 open-label, dose-finding clinical study is initially focused on a single disease-specific cohort of subjects with Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NCT05989204) and is being conducted by Penn as the regulatory sponsor.
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This achievement showcases the application of AvantGen’s innovative approach to antibody discovery for CAR-T research and development. The approach utilized AvantGen’s proprietary Germliner human antibody discovery platform to identify and develop novel CD19 antibodies, one of which is incorporated into the investigational CAR-T therapy. These antibodies, characterized by their high developability, expand the scope of CD19-binders under development as potential CAR-T therapies.
"We are thrilled to reach this milestone resulting from our agreement with Kite. This achievement further demonstrates the power and efficiency of our antibody discovery platform in advancing antibody-based therapeutics," said Xiaomin Fan, Ph.D., President and CEO of AvantGen.
Under the terms of the agreement, AvantGen may be eligible for future milestone and royalty payments if the therapy continues towards commercialization. This achievement highlights AvantGen’s technologies and mission to advance the field of antibody-mediated therapy.
AvantGen conducted this work under an agreement with Tmunity Therapeutics. Kite acquired Tmunity in 2023.