Clinical-stage cell therapy company, Chimeric Therapeutics has signed a three-year sponsored research agreement with the University of Pennsylvania in the US to support its ongoing development of gastric and colorectal cancer fighting therapies. According to Chimeric, the research will focus on further developing its cutting-edge treatments through pre-clinical studies, correlative research and cell therapy on candidates.
The campaign will be helmed by Dr Xianxin Hua, a professor of Cancer Biology at the Pennsylvania University’s Perelman School of Medicine and an investigator at the Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute. Notably, Dr Hua is also one of the inventors of CHM 2101, a cell therapy that looks to target gastric cancers.
Under the terms of the agreement, Chimeric has the first right of negotiation to license any intellectual property that arises from the University of Pennsylvania’s research efforts.
Chimeric Therapeutics CEO and Managing Director Jennifer Chow said:“We are also thrilled with the progress we have made on driving this important therapy to clinic and are excited as the execution of this agreement will enhance our ability to move forward with that goal.”
Remarkably, Chimeric says it is Australia's only clinical-stage cell therapy biotechnology business focused on the research, development, and commercialisation of treatments that actually cure cancer rather than just slow its growth.
Chimeric’s CAR T cell therapy works by extracting blood cells from a patient and “reprogramming” them to detect and destroy malignant cells before being re-infused back into the patient's bloodstream. The process is part of a larger area in the biotechnology space called "immunotherapy," which involves repurposing a patient's own cells to combat cancerous cells.
The company is pursuing clinical trials for two of its cell therapy assets - CHM 2101 for gastric and colorectal cancers and CHM1101 for glioblastoma, a very aggressive cancer that can develop in the brain or spinal cord.
Chimeric recently completed a second dose cohort program for CHM1101 in a phase 1 dose escalation study at a prominent cancer centre near Los Angeles, marking a significant milestone in its glioblastoma treatment. Chimeric says all patients dosed in the trial surpassed the 28-day follow-up period without experiencing any negative ailments.
Patients in the second dosage cohort received twice as many CLTX CAR T cells as those in the first dose cohort, marking a significant milestone considering the trial's use of both intraventricular and intertumoral delivery.
Chimeric’s partnership with the University of Pennsylvania comes as a major shot in the company’s arm, given the duo’s research efforts will be helmed by one of the developers of its cell therapy technology. As the company accelerates towards clinical trials of its gastric and colorectal cancer-fighting therapies, it could carve out a healthy position in the lucrative biomedical space if the partnership bear’s fruit.
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By Matt Birney
