City of Hope reaches deal to commercialize scorpion toxin-based CAR T-cell therapy
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City of Hope announced it has reached an agreement with Australia-based biotech Chimeric Therapeutics.
The agreement is to license the intellectual property associated with its chlorotoxin-based chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy.
Chlorotoxin is a nontoxic component of the venom produced by the death stalker scorpion, and it has been shown to bind to glioblastoma cells in previous studies.
As Healio previously reported, the investigational chlorotoxin-CAR (CLTX-CAR) is being evaluated in a phase 1 clinical trial at City of Hope as treatment for adults with glioblastoma.
The deal gives Chimeric Therapeutics the global rights to develop and commercialize “certain patents” related to City of Hope’s CLTX-CAR T cells, according to a press release issued by the institution. The agreement includes therapies for glioblastoma and further development of therapies for other types of cancer.
“Chimeric is excited to join City of Hope in its quest to find more effective cancer therapies. This is an exceedingly rare opportunity to acquire a promising technology in one of the most exciting areas of immuno-oncology today,” Paul Hopper, executive chairman of Chimeric Therapeutics, said in the press release.
The current phase 1 study has treated its first patient and continues to enroll more, according to Christine Brown, PhD, Heritage Provider Network professor in immunotherapy and deputy director of the T Cell Therapeutics Research Laboratory at City of Hope.
“We hope to be able to share our first results of safety and initial activity within the next year,” she told Healio.
The uses for CLTX-CAR may not be limited to glioblastoma.
Michael Barish, PhD, chair and professor of the department of developmental and stem cell biology at City of Hope, is one of the primary investigators leading the CLTX-CAR study. He said chlorotoxin is known to bind with other solid tumors, especially those of neuroectodermal origin, such as melanoma, as well as breast cancer.
“After assessing safety and establishing the optimal dose, we plan to evaluate CLTX-CAR T cells in these systemic solid tumors,” he told Healio.
Barish said although the clinical trial is in its very early stage, the approach his group is taking is based on strong preclinical data.
Brown said the trial is still enrolling and clinicians with interested patients should contact City of Hope at 833-310-CART (2278) or review the trial protocol online at clinicaltrials.gov (NCT04214392).
For more information:
Christine E. Brown, PhD, can be reached at Department of Hematology and Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation, City of Hope Medical Center, Duarte, CA 91010.
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