On February 20, 2019 Mustang Bio, Inc. ("Mustang") (NASDAQ: MBIO), a company focused on the development of novel immunotherapies based on proprietary chimeric antigen receptor engineered T cell (CAR T) technology and gene therapies for rare diseases, and Nationwide Children’s Hospital ("Nationwide"), one of America’s largest not-for-profit freestanding pediatric health care systems providing wellness, preventive, diagnostic, treatment and rehabilitative care for infants, children and adolescents, as well as adult patients with congenital disease, reported that they have partnered and entered into an exclusive worldwide license agreement to develop an oncolytic virus (C134) for the treatment of glioblastoma multiforme (Press release, Mustang Bio, FEB 20, 2019, View Source [SID1234533480]).
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A Phase 1 clinical trial evaluating C134, an attenuated herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1), in recurrent glioblastoma multiforme is being conducted at the University of Alabama at Birmingham ("UAB"). The trial is led by Dr. James Markert, M.D., Chairman of the Department of Neurosurgery at UAB, who developed C134 in collaboration with Dr. Kevin Cassady, M.D., Associate Professor of Pediatrics at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. C134 is a second-generation HSV-1 oncolytic virus that has improved replication in tumors in murine models, but with the same toxicity profile as its first-generation predecessors. In these preclinical studies, it not only demonstrates direct anti-tumor activity, but also elicits an immune response that can reverse tumor-associated immunosuppression.
Subsequent clinical trials will investigate a combination treatment of MB-101 (IL13Rα2-specific CAR) and C134. These trials are supported by preclinical studies that have appeared to demonstrate the synergistic potential of an oncolytic virus, which can induce an anti-tumor immune response when combined with CAR-T therapy to target solid tumors.
"Oncolytic viruses often trigger an immune response directed at tumors that are otherwise refractory to single agent immunotherapies. Our oncolytic virus C134 has demonstrated promising preclinical activity and we look forward to working with Mustang to advance its development in the clinic," Dr. Kevin Cassady said.
Manuel Litchman, M.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Mustang, said, "We are very pleased to partner with Nationwide Children’s Hospital to develop oncolytic virus C134. We also plan to evaluate oncolytic virus C134 in combination with MB-101 to explore the potential synergies of this novel combination to treat patients with glioblastoma. At Mustang, we are committed to evaluating our CAR T therapies alone and in combination regimens with the goal of advancing treatment paradigms for cancers without alternate therapies."