Business
Allogene Therapeutics Announces Publication Highlighting Potential for ALLO-819 In Acute Myeloid Leukemia
FLT3-Directed AlloCAR T™ Therapy Demonstrated Potent Anti-Leukemic Activity in Pre-Clinical Models Without Evidence of Off-Target Activity SOUTH SAN
About this update from Allogene Therapeutics, Inc.
[{"type":"text","content":"FLT3-Directed AlloCAR T™ Therapy Demonstrated Potent Anti-Leukemic Activity in Pre-Clinical Models Without Evidence of Off-Target Activity SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., June 22, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Allogene Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: ALLO), a clinical-stage biotechnology company pioneering the development of allogeneic CAR T (AlloCAR T™) therapies for cancer, today announced a publication in Molecular Therapy demonstrating the potential for ALLO-819, an investigational AlloCAR T therapy targeting FLT3 as a novel treatment for acute myeloid leukemia (AML). These preclinical findings were previously presented as a poster at the 61st American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting & Exposition in December 2019.\n “While we’ve seen exceptional clinical efficacy with autologous CAR T therapies in hematological malignancies, the inherent limitations of autologous cell therapies can be more pronounced in a rapidly progressing disease such as advanced AML,” said Barbra Sasu, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer at Allogene. “The high anti-leukemic activity of ALLO-819 seen in preclinical studies, combined with a safety mechanism to mitigate potential off-tumor effects and the benefits of an off-the-shelf option, supports our goal to advance ALLO-819 for a patient population with very few treatment options.” In this study, healthy donor T lymphocytes were engineered to express CARs that bound to different domains of the FLT3 protein. These CARs were then tested for their ability to mediate specific killing of FLT3-expressing cells without off-target activity. A CAR construct was selected based on exhibiting minimal potential for exhaustion and potent antitumor activity in vitro and in vivo models.The lead candidate was then engineered to contain an off-switch responsive to rituximab, resulting in ALLO-819. ALLO-819 utilizes Cellectis technologies. Allogene holds global development and commercial rights for this investigational candidate. This pre-clinical research was conducted in collaboration with both Cellectis and Pfizer Cancer Immunology Discovery. About Acute Myeloid LeukemiaAcute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a form of cancer that is characterized by infiltration of the bone marrow, blood, and other tissues by proliferative, clonal, abnormally differentiated, and occasionally poorly differentiated cells of the hematopoietic system...