Astellas Terminates Development of Autologous Cell Therapy for Lymphoma Following Pipeline Review
Termination of Development:
Astellas has ended the development of an autologous cell therapy for CD20-positive B cell lymphomas, a decision made following a review of its pipeline1.
Background on CAR-T Therapies:
CAR-T cell therapies have shown significant promise in treating various types of blood cancers, including lymphomas. These therapies involve using a patient's own T cells, which are genetically modified to target specific proteins on cancer cells35.
Alternative Approaches:
Other companies, such as Lyell, are advancing next-generation CAR-T cell therapies. Lyell's IMPT-314 has shown promising results in treating large B-cell lymphoma, with an overall response rate of 94% and a complete response rate of 71% in the 3rd-line+ setting4.
Research on New Targets:
Researchers at Stanford Medicine have explored targeting CD22 instead of CD19 in CAR-T therapies for lymphoma, achieving a complete response in 53% of patients in a phase 1 clinical trial5.
Industry Trends:
The development of CAR-T therapies continues to evolve, with companies like Poseida Therapeutics working on allogeneic (off-the-shelf) CAR-T therapies to avoid unwanted immune reactions and speed up treatment times2.
Sources:
1. https://endpts.com/astellas-stops-developing-autologous-cell-therapy-for-lymphoma/
2. https://www.fiercebiotech.com/biotech/poseida-sells-50m-stake-astellas-extending-cash-runway-gene-therapy-programs-reviewed
3. https://www.hematology.org/newsroom/press-releases/2024/car-t-safe-and-effective-on-an-outpatient-basis
4. https://ir.lyell.com/news-releases/news-release-details/lyell-highlight-vision-its-next-generation-car-t-cell-therapy
5. https://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2024/07/cell-based-therapy-lymphoma-fda-breakthrough-designation.html