Prescient Therapeutics has inked a new deal with leading research organisation Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre to advance work on its revolutionary OmniCAR platform.

Under the terms of the deal, Peter MacCallum senior research fellow Professor Philip Darcy will lead a team of researchers undertaking preclinical development of Prescient’s OmniCAR programs.

OmniCAR is a next generation CAR-T platform designed to improve the safety, effectiveness, and control of existing CAR-T treatments.

CAR-T treatments involve extracting and genetically modifying T cells within a patient’s immune system to better identify and attack cancerous cells.

The modified cells are then ‘expanded’ (replicated to create more) and infused back into the patient, where they recognise and eliminate cancer.

Professor Darcy said: “We are excited by the opportunity and potential offered by the OmniCAR platform to make headway into solid tumours and other blood cancers, and to greatly enhance and improve the clinical control and efficacy of existing CAR-T cancer therapies.”

This agreement will see the two organisations focus on developing next generation CAR-T products using the OmniCAR technology for three types of cancer: acute myeloid leukemia (AML), Her2+ solid tumors, and glioblastoma multiforme (GBM).

Steven Yatomi-Clarke, CEO of Prescient, said the company is committed to completing the development work both quickly, and to the highest standards.

“Our latest research program with Peter Mac is an important part of our development plans, which include institutional and commercial laboratories,” he said. 

“We continue to work very closely with Professor Darcy and the team at Peter MacCallum as we progress this exciting development of controllable and adaptable next generation CAR-T therapies.”

The resulting intellectual property will be owned by Prescient Therapeutics.

This agreement marks the second research collaboration between the two organisations, having announced a similar agreement focusing on Cell Therapy Enhancement programs last year.

Prescient increases dosage in separate clinical trial

The deal comes hot on the heels of a dosage increase in Prescient’s Phase 1b clinical study of its oncology drug PTX-200 and cytarabine in patients with AML.

PTX-200 is a ‘novel domain inhibitor’, which works to inhibit an important tumor survival pathway known as ‘Akt’ and is currently in clinical trials for a range of cancers including HER2-negative breast cancer and persistent platinum-resistant ovarian cancer.

Three AML patients were being treated with 35mg/m2 with no ‘dose limiting’ toxicities being reported, and no other clinical responses recorded.

Following a safety review of this data, Prescient is now looking to enrol a new cohort to test the drug at a dosage of 45mg/m2.

Dr Terrence Chew, the company’s Chief Medical Officer, said the results of the 35mg/m2 tests are promising.

“AML remains a very difficult disease to treat, especially in the relapsed and refractory setting, with patients often too sick to endure vigorous treatment,” he said.

“It is therefore pleasing to see the completion of this cohort without dose limiting toxicities.”

AML affects approximately 158,000 people worldwide, and inhibits the formation of new blood cells. 

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Sources:

• Prescient Therapeutics, Prescient signs CAR-T agreement with Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre
• Prescient Therapeutics, PTX-200 AML Trial Progresses to Higher Dose
• Prescient Therapeutics, Pipeline