Cancer treatments are changing and Prescient Therapeutics (ASX: PTX) is an Australian biotech company that is leading the way. 

Prescient’s PTX 100 and PTX 200 therapies have had compelling results in human clinical trials.  

Prescient is adding to this with its foray into the cutting edge world of CAR-T therapies, which modify a patient’s immune system to recognise and destroy cancer cells that otherwise go undetected. 

For certain blood cancers, CAR-T therapies have improved outcomes for 80% of patients, including those deemed ‘untreatable’ and unresponsive to chemotherapy. 

“CAR-T represents a genuine landmark in medicine.  The proportion of patients that have responded to these is truly unprecedented” says CEO Steven Yatomi-Clarke. 

However, this first generation of CAR-T faces some hurdles that prevent these stunning responses being replicated in other types of cancer.  And that’s where Prescient’s next generation CAR-T platform, OmniCAR, comes in.

OmniCAR aims to improve current CAR-T therapies so they can treat all cancers with control and flexibility. It is based on technologies licensed from University of Pennsylvania and Oxford University, both of whom are pioneers in the field. 

“Current generation CAR-T is like a trained soldier deployed to fight cancer cells. However, it’s a soldier with only one map, it’s got only one weapon that can only hit one target. It’s not capable of being redirected and can’t be communicated with once it’s deployed in the field” says Yatomi-Clarke.  

Unlike current therapies, OmniCAR enables clinicians to adjust or even switch off the therapy as needed. 

“By contrast, OmniCAR can be armed with any weapon including several at once. It can be given any map and multiple deployments, even with the one soldier. It can be directed against any target including several targets at once. Importantly, you’ve got full communication control, even mid-mission” he adds. 

Prescient also aims to make OmniCAR compatible with other cell therapies. This enables not just Prescient’s in house programs, but has the ability to enhance any third party CAR-T technology.

“It’s version one, but OmniCAR is already showing promise as a quantum leap in CAR-T therapy.”

Watch a recent investor presentation to learn more about Prescient Therapies from CEO Steven Yatomi-Clarke.

Join next week’s ‘Meet The CEOs’ webcast – Click here to book your spot.

Recorded on 27 May 2020 at 12pm.

Reach Markets have been engaged by PTX to assist with private investor management.