Date: 2015-06-15
Type of information: Exercise of an option agreement
Compound: allogeneic T-cell therapies including T-cells activated against Epstein Barr Virus (EBV), T-cells activated against Cytomegalovirus (CMV) and T-cells activated against Wilms Tumor 1 (WT1)
Company: Atara Biotherapeutics (USA - CA) Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (USA - NY)
Therapeutic area: Cancer - Oncology - Infectious diseases
Type agreement: exercise of an option agreement licensing
Action mechanism: cell therapy. These programs share a common technology, under which third-party donor-derived whole blood is collected and enriched for T lymphocytes, or T-cells. The T-cells are then exposed to certain antigens, and the resulting activated T-cells are characterized and stored for future therapeutic use. Using a proprietary algorithm, patients are treated with a partially human leukocyte antigen, or HLA, matched cell line, providing an \"off-the-shelf,\" allogeneic, cellular therapeutic option for patients. These T-cell products are intended to work by targeting the abnormal cells expressing the applicable target antigen and killing them.
Disease: cancers, viral infections
Details: * On September 23, 2014, Atara Biotherapeutics announced that they have entered into an exclusive option agreement with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) for the development and commercialization of allogeneic T-cell therapies for the treatment of certain cancers and persistent viral infections. Under the terms of the agreement, Atara will have the option to acquire a worldwide license to three clinical stage T-cell therapies consisting of: T-cells activated against Epstein Barr Virus, or EBV (Phase 2);
T-cells activated against cytomegalovirus, or CMV (Phase 2); and
T-cells activated against Wilms Tumor 1, or WT1 (Phase 1)
These three programs share a common technology under which third-party donor-derived whole blood is collected and enriched for T lymphocytes, or T-cells. The T-cells are then exposed to certain antigens, and the resulting activated T-cells are characterized and stored for future therapeutic use. T-cells are a critical component of the body\'s immune system and can be harnessed to counteract viral infections and some cancers. By focusing the T-cells on specific proteins involved in cancers and infections, the power of the immune system can be employed to combat these diseases. The EBV program is in Phase 2 and has been dosed in over 100 patients with initial results published in the journal Blood. Atara and MSK have agreed to collaborate on further research to develop additional cellular therapies, which may include T-cell therapies against other antigens and/or chimeric antigen receptor-modified T-cells, known as CAR-T.
Financial terms: MSK will receive cash and Atara common stock in return for the exclusive option. If Atara exercises its option to enter into the license agreement, MSK will receive an upfront license payment and be eligible to receive additional payments based on achievement of certain development, regulatory and sales-related milestones, as well as royalty payments.
Latest news: * On June 15, 2015, Atara Biotherapeutics announced that it has exercised its exclusive option with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) to license certain clinical stage, allogeneic T-cell therapies for the treatment of cancers and persistent viral infections. In connection with the exercise of the option, the Atara Bio license agreement with MSK grants Atara Bio exclusive worldwide rights to the following three allogeneic T-cell therapies: T-cells activated against Epstein Barr Virus, or EBV (Phase 2); Atara Bio announced earlier this year that its collaborating investigator at MSK received breakthrough therapy designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for its cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) activated against Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV-CTL) in the treatment of patients with rituximab-refractory, EBV-associated lymphoproliferative disease (EBV-LPD). Clinical data have been presented as follows:
T-cells activated against Cytomegalovirus, or CMV (Phase 2); and T-cells activated against Wilms Tumor 1, or WT1 (Phase 1).
EBV-CTL in the treatment of patients with EBV-LPD after solid organ transplantation at the 2015 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting.
EBV-CTL in the treatment of patients with EBV-LPD after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) at a Clinical Trial Plenary Session at American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2015
CMV-CTL in the treatment of patients with anti-viral resistant CMV after HCT including viremia only and CMV disease at the American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting 2014.
Richard O\'Reilly, MD, Chair of the Department of Pediatrics and Chief of the Pediatric Bone Marrow Transplant Service at MSK, will also join Atara Bio\'s Scientific Advisory Board.
