By Leah Lawrence - Last Updated: April 15, 2022
The allogeneic dual CAR T-cell product UCART20x22 demonstrated pre-clinical proof of concept for patients with relapsed or refractory non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), according to a poster presentation at the AACR Annual Meeting 2022.
UCART20x22 features TALEN®-mediated disruptions of the TRAC gene (to reduce graft-versus-host disease) and of the CD52 gene to enhance CAR T engraftment, expansion, and persistence. According to its developer, UCART20x22 has potential to offer an alternative to CD19-directed therapies and CD19 negative relapses with its dual targeting of CD20 and CD22.
The poster highlighted three main findings:
- UCART20x22 had strong activity against tumor cell lines expressing either CD20 or CD22 or both simultaneously.
- In vivo preclinical models demonstrate that the therapy efficiently eradicated tumors expressing both or either antigen and sustained presence of UCART20x22 was observed in the marrow after tumor clearance.
- In vitro assays against primary cells from patients with NHL with diverse CD20 and CD22 antigen levels demonstrated that the therapy has potent and specific cytotoxic activity.
The developer plans to file an Investigational New Drug application this year.
Source: Cellectis Press Release, April 2022
Original Source: UCART20x22 Demonstrates Preclinical Activity of Allogeneic Dual CAR T Therapy Against NHL | Blood Cancers Today