On July 5, 2021 Prescient Therapeutics Limited (ASX:PTX) reported that outstanding findings from in silico immunogenicity testing of OmniCAR’s key binding components – SpyTag and SpyCatcher (Press release, Prescient Therapeutics, JUL 5, 2021, View Source;utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=positive-results-from-immunogenicity-testing-send-prescients-shares-higher [SID1234584687]).

Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
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!

SpyTag/SpyCatcher system is a technology used to combine proteins; SpyTag is a 13-amino acid peptide which reacts with SpyCatcher to form a bond.

Following the significant update, shares of the ASX-listed clinical-stage oncology firm jumped 14.130% and were trading at AU$0.260 (at 02:48 PM AEST).

PTX highlighted that the in silico tests confirm the non-immunogenic profile of SpyTag and SpyCatcher. These findings substantially de-risk the OmniCAR platform and are crucial for progressing Prescient’s OmniCAR in-house programs and external partnership/collaborations.

Immunogenicity testing assesses the immune response against a new treatment, which can negatively affect efficacy and safety. In CAR-T cell therapies, elevated levels of immunogenicity can negatively impact the expansion and persistence of CAR-T cells, affecting the treatment’s overall safety and clinical response.

WATCH NOW: Expert Talks With Mr Steven Yatomi Clarke, CEO and Managing Director of Prescient Therapeutics

In silico test demonstrates low immunogenicity of SpyTag and SpyCatcher
Prescient highlighted that the immunogenicity of OmniCAR’s binding system components – SpyTag and SpyCatcher – were analysed in silico by an independent US research provider. The study was performed to determine if these components could generate unfavourable immune responses which could have a negative impact on the therapy.

Source: PTX Update, 5 July 2021

The findings revealed that both SpyTag and SpyCatcher had extremely low immunogenicity. Notably, their immunogenicity was found to be lower than a panel of humanised therapeutic antibodies already approved for human use.

ALSO READ: Prescient Therapeutics’ major strides in anti-cancer programs set the stage for a sturdy 2021

It is interesting to note that in silico immunogenicity testing is widely considered to be over-predictive as contemporary algorithms cannot account for cellular antigen processing.

Steven Yatomi-Clarke, the CEO and Managing Director of Prescient, commented-

The crucial development follows the completion of the manufacturing and delivery of the OmniCAR platform’s critical components, including cell binders for numerous cancer targets and lentiviral vectors utilised to manufacture CAR-T cells.

READ MORE: Prescient Therapeutics reaches a major CAR-T manufacturing milestone

Prescient’s OmniCAR programs are being developed for:

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML).
Her2+ solid tumours (breast, gastric and ovarian cancers).
Glioblastoma multiforme or GBM (the most common form of brain cancer).
PTX has developed OmniCAR as a platform, allowing collaborations and partnerships under licence with third parties wanting to integrate OmniCAR for enhancing their respective cell therapies.

The platform is based on technologies developed at the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Oxford. Interestingly, Prescient owns a global licence for the commercialisation of the technologies.

DO READ: Prescient Therapeutics inks new deal with Peter Mac to rev up its OmniCAR programs

Prescient highlights that the positive findings from the in silico immunogenicity test show that if these therapies are given to patients, their immune systems will not impair the therapy itself. Furthermore, the Company is thrilled to progress its in-house next-generation cell therapies for cancer treatments.