On January 3, 2023 Tessa Therapeutics Ltd. (Tessa), a clinical-stage cell therapy company developing next-generation cancer treatments for hematological malignancies and solid tumors, reported that the company will prioritize development of its allogeneic "off-the-shelf" CD30.CAR-modified Epstein-Barr virus-specific T-cell (EBVST) therapy platform, while seeking strategic options for the development of its TT11 autologous CAR-T platform with other companies (Press release, Tessa Therapeutics, JAN 3, 2023, View Source [SID1234625753]).
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!
The decision to prioritize the allogeneic or "off-the-shelf-approach" over the autologous platform followed progress and new data with its TT11X clinical program, including strong safety and efficacy data presented in an oral podium presentation at the 64th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology (ASH) (Free ASH Whitepaper). The data demonstrated TT11X to be well-tolerated at all dosing levels, eliciting a 79% overall response rate and 43% complete response rate among 14 heavily pre-treated CD30-positve Hodgkin lymphoma patients.
These developments are the first of what is expected to be a milestone-rich year ahead for Tessa as the company seeks to build the value of its pipeline to its fullest potential with available resources.
"I believe that this strategic refocus on our allogeneic platform positions the company at the forefront of CAR-T innovation during 2023 and beyond," stated Thomas Willemsen, President and CEO of Tessa Therapeutics. "This optimism is based on the compelling safety and efficacy data that continue to be generated by our TT11X program and the potential patient benefit in treating CD30-positive lymphomas, and potentially solid tumors where there is significant unmet medical need."
"Our scientific efforts are directed toward enhancing cell performance and durability of our allogeneic EBVST cells – a key challenge faced by current allogeneic approaches, and hence a key differentiating factor in our platform approach." stated Ivan Horak, M.D., Chief Medical Officer and Chief Scientific Officer of Tessa Therapeutics.