Define a lead candidate for clinical development of a novel T cell therapy

Introduction

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a disease with a poor prognosis, especially for patients who either fail initial treatment or relapse thereafter. In AML, specific immune cells such as T cells have been proven to bear curative potential in the context of stem cell transplantation, but toxicity and therapy failure are frequent.

CAR T Cell Therapy

The use of T cells modified for specificity with chimeric antigen receptors (CAR) has changed the landscape of several blood-borne cancers of the B cell lineage. In AML, however, ongoing development of CAR T cells is associated with severe toxicities, limiting dosing and efficacy due to the poor specificity of the targets used for AML blasts.

Research and Development

In my ERC-funded research, I have identified unique AML targets that are not shared with healthy hematopoiesis or other relevant healthy organs. By developing CAR against these targets, I could demonstrate the potential of my strategy.

Clinical Development

To enable clinical development and exploitation, T2LEAD will identify and develop lead CAR candidates for further translation. T2LEAD will explore the medical and commercial potential of lead CAR and route exploitation towards:

1. Licensing
2. Spin-out
3. Both

Support and Impact

T2LEAD will be supported by a strong network of advisors from academia, industry, and regulatory frameworks. Ultimately, T2LEAD will help advance the treatment landscape in AML to the benefit of AML patients.