Date: 2016-10-19
Type of information: R&D agreement
Compound: CAR-Treg-based cellular immunotherapy
Company: Txcell (France) University of British Columbia (UBC) (Canada)
Therapeutic area: Transplantation
Type agreement: R&D collaboration
Action mechanism: cell therapy/immunotherapy product/gene therapy/CAR-T cell therapy.
Disease: prevention of graft rejection
Details: * On October 19, 2016, TxCell announced the signature of a strategic R&D collaboration agreement with the University of British Columbia (UBC) in Vancouver. This collaboration agreement covers the development of a CAR-Treg-based cellular immunotherapy for the prevention of graft rejection in the context of Solid Organ Transplantation (SOT). Activities relating to this program will be primarily conducted in the UBC laboratories. The activities will be led by Professor Megan Levings, who earlier this year established a first preclinical proof of concept with human HLA-A2-specific CAR-Treg cells in a preclinical transplantation model. UBC will conduct non-clinical pharmacology studies with CAR-Treg cells with the aim of initiating a first-in-man study in transplantation patients as soon as possible. The UBC team demonstrated that, in a preclinical xenogeneic Graft-vs-Host Disease (GvHD) model, human CAR?engineered Treg cells that are specific for the molecule HLA-A2 were more effective than polyclonal Treg cells in reducing GvHD-related inflammation. The model used by Dr. Levings’ team is based on xenogeneic GvHD induced in immunodeficient mice through the injection of human HLA?A2+ white blood cells. These human white blood cells (graft) attack the immunodeficient mice (host), resulting in an inflammatory reaction (Graft-vs-Host Disease, GvHD). The CAR used in this experiment was designed to specifically recognize the HLA-A2 molecule found solely on graft cells. These data will constitute the basis for the first product development under the new TxCell/UBC collaboration announced today. Whilst the UBC team is focused on product development activities, it will in parallel perform research activities in the CAR-Treg field with the aim of optimizing and broadening the new product platform for transplantation. TxCell has an exclusive option on programs and products developed under this agreement. The company has already launched CAR-Treg collaborations with Ospedale San Raffaele to treat severe chronic inflammatory and autoimmune diseases and with Lübeck Institute of Experimental Dermatology to develop a CAR-Treg-based cellular immunotherapy for bullous pemphigoid. This third collaboration will help TxCell to strengthen its recently initiated transplantation program. The company intends to launc a first-in-man clinical study with a first CAR-Treg in 2018.
Financial terms: Financial terms of the collaboration have not been disclosed.
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