Clinical stage oncology company Prescient Therapeutics (ASX: PTX) has just presented at the Cell & Gene Meeting on the Mediterranean, after being invited to present at the prestigious event that brings together key players in the cell and gene therapy community from around the world. The company is discussing their next-generation CAR-T platforms; OmniCAR, CellPryme-M and CellPryme-A.

The event is a highlight on the cell therapy calendar and covers a wide range of topics, from market access and regulatory issues, to manufacturing options and financing of the sector. Featuring extensive expert-led panels, intensive one on one partnering capabilities, exclusive networking opportunities and presentations by leading publicly traded and privately held companies in the industry – it’s the perfect opportunity for biotech companies to share their groundbreaking technologies.

Cell therapy aims to treat diseases by restoring or altering certain sets of cells, or by using cells to transport therapies through the body. Cells are cultivated or modified outside of the body before being injected into the patient, and may originate from the patient or from a donor. Gene therapies work by inactivating, replacing or introducing genes into cells. This process can be done either inside or outside of the body.

One of the most exciting clinical applications in this field has been CAR-T therapy (Chimeric Antigen Receptors T cell therapy), which changes the genes of T-cells (white blood cells that are part of the immune system) to find and destroy cancer cells. The American Cancer Society recognises CAR-T as a groundbreaking cell-based gene therapy.

Prescient’s OmniCAR platform is aiming to address key challenges of current generation CAR-T therapies by making treatments safer, more effective, more affordable and longer lasting. For example, a key limitation of CAR-T therapy is T-cell associated toxicities. There have been many unfortunate incidents of T-cells going rogue and causing horrific damage to patients. While this is a complex issue to tackle, PTX’s OmniCAR platform gives clinicians unprecedented control over T-cells – allowing oncologists to switch them off once they’re infused to immediately stop treatment.

PTX is developing OmniCAR programs for next-generation CAR-T therapies that are targeting Acute Myeloid Leukaemia (AML), Her2+ solid tumours, including breast, ovarian and gastric cancers; and glioblastoma multiforme (GBM).

Prescient is also presenting their CellPryme cell therapy enhancement platform. CellPryme-A is an adjuvant therapy provided to patients that boosts tumour killing and host survival of conventional CAR-T cell therapies. It achieves this by overcoming the tumour’s hostile microenvironment and significantly enhancing the expansion CAR-T cells within the host. 

The platform’s benefits are even greater when used in conjunction with PTX’s CellPryme-M, which enhances adoptive cell therapy performance by shifting T cells towards a central memory phenotype. It’s a 24-hour, non-disruptive process during cell manufacturing that improves T cell persistence, and increases their ability to find an penetrate tumours.

Targeted therapies showing encouraging clinical results

Distinctly different from CAR-T therapies, Prescient also has two targeted therapies that are currently in the clinic: PTX-100 and PTX-200. 

PTX-100 is seeing very encouraging results in its Phase 1b PTX-100 trial. Recent trial data showed a wealth of positive data – including two complete responses in patients with relapsed and refractory (r/r) Peripheral T-cell Lymphoma (PTCL). A complete eradication of cancer is not generally expected in this disease, so it is exceptionally encouraging to see PTX-100 have such positive results in two patients. 

PTX is now recruiting an additional seven patients to the Phase 1b trial in order to build a more robust data package ahead of an upcoming meeting with the US  Food and Drug Administration (FDA) later this year. The company is planning a subsequent Phase 2 trial in TCL, which the company will seek to be an Accelerated Approval trial in an Orphan indication. This could pave the way for expedited regulatory approval for PTX-100.

Join an investor briefing with Prescient CEO and MD Steven Yatomi Clarke on Wednesday, 26th April at 12pm (AEST) to hear more about the company’s portfolio of later stage and emerging cancer therapies. Register here or request the recording.

Reach Corporate provides Corporate Advisory Services, including managing investor communications on behalf of Prescient Therapeutics Limited and may receive fees for its services.

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