On January 21, 2021 Prescient Therapeutics (ASX:PTX) reported that what’s next for its next-generation gene therapy technology for fighting cancer (Press release, Prescient Therapeutics, JAN 21, 2021, View Source;utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=prescient-therapeutics-chooses-three-cancer-programs-for-its-next-generation-car-t-platform [SID1234574167]).
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!
Melbourne-based Prescient will focus development of its OmniCAR platform into three programs: the blood cancer acute myeloid leukemia (AML); solid tumours including breast, ovarian and gastric cancers; and glioblastoma multiforme, the aggressive brain cancer.
Prescient’s OmniCAR technology represents a step up from the current chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR T) therapy, a form of immunotherapy that involves modifying a patient’s white blood cells so they recognise and kill cancer cells.
An American woman, Laurie Adami, recently told Stockhead how CAR T therapy saved her life by curing her stage IV follicular non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
Prescient says its OmniCAR tech is expected to be safer and more effective than the current generation of CAR T treatments, which are only a few years old.
CAR T cells using OmniCAR will be able to target multiple cancer antigens simultaneously, and the platform offers "persistent dosing and tumour microenvironment enhancements to improve efficacy," Prescient says.
While OmniCAR has a range of applications, the company decided to narrow its focus to the three cancer programs after a strategic review that took into account all the known CAR T programs in development worldwide.
The company said it tried to strike a balance between the probability of technical success and being able to bring to market a differentiated, commercially viable treatment. Prescient didn’t want to risk developing a "me too" CAR T treatment that duplicated an existing therapy.
"Each of the programs represent a tremendous market opportunity," says Prescient chief executive Steven Yatomi-Clarke.
"Furthermore, Prescient will continue to seek collaboration with external parties on additional opportunities where OmniCAR can create additional next-generation CAR therapies with partners."
Prescient licensed OmniCAR from the University of Pennsylvania, a leader in CAR T which developed Kymriah, a Novartis therapy approved as a treatment for B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).
Prescient says the vigorous development program will move OmniCAR towards the clinic while demonstrating the unique features of the technology in treating patients – adding tremendous value to the platform.