Cancer-fighting biotech company Prescient Therapeutics has continued to hit its clinical and development milestones in the first half of the financial year, its reports show.

The company – which is developing two novel cancer treatments (PTX-100 and PTX-200) and a next-generation cell therapy platform – met several development targets during the six months ending December 2021.

These included progressing human trials for PTX-100 to higher dosages after earlier research indicated the relatively safe nature of treatment, and seeking a new cohort to test PTX-200 following the completion of Phase 1b studies.

The company also made “significant progress” in three preclinical trials of its next-generation CAR-T cell therapy platform, OmniCAR.

CAR-T is a form of cell therapy that reprograms a patient’s immune system to identify and attack cancer cells. 

OmniCAR was developed using technology licensed from the University of Pennsylvania and Oxford University – both pioneers in CAR-T – and is intended to make CAR-T safer and more flexible.

Prescient undertook testing of its OmniCAR platform in three types of cancer: acute myeloid leukaemia, HER2+ solid tumours (including ovarian, gastric and breast cancer) and glioblastoma multiforme (a type of brain cancer). 

“The results showed that OmniCAR-T cells begin antigen-directed killing of tumour cells in vitro as soon as they are armed,” Prescient said.

“The company also showed that OmniCAR-T cells could be re-armed and continue to kill tumour cells without loss of cytotoxicity, and that OmniCAR can be used to target multiple cancer antigens.”

Prescient Therapeutics noted it is also working on new technologies that it says will “complement, enhance and expand” the usefulness of existing CAR-T therapies.

This work is being undertaken in “stealth mode” for commercial purposes; however, the company said “significant progress” was made during the period.

Prescient Therapeutics CEO Steven Yatomi-Clarke will be hosting an investor briefing Thursday, 3rd March, at 1pm (AEDT). Click here to register.

Reach Markets have been engaged by PTX to assist with their investor communications.

Sources:

• Prescient Therapeutics ASX Announcements, Half-year report
• Prescient Therapeutics, Technology
• National Cancer Institute, CAR T-cell therapy