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Nkarta Announces Treatment of First Patient in First-in-Human Clinical Trial of Engineered NKG2D-Based NK Cell Cancer Immunotherapy NKX101
First Multi-Center Clinical Trial to Investigate an Engineered NK Cell Targeting NKG2D SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., Nov. 12, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Nkarta,
About this update from Nkarta, Inc.
[{"type":"text","content":"First Multi-Center Clinical Trial to Investigate an Engineered NK Cell Targeting NKG2D\nSOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., Nov. 12, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Nkarta, Inc. (Nasdaq: NKTX), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing engineered natural killer (NK) cell therapies to treat cancer, today announced that the first patient has been treated in the first-in-human Phase 1 clinical trial of NKX101 for the treatment of relapsed/refractory acute myeloid leukemia (AML) or higher risk myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). The multi-center clinical trial is designed to evaluate safety, pharmacokinetics, and preliminary anti-tumor activity of NKX101.\n NKX101 is the first investigational NK cell cancer immunotherapy engineered to express a chimeric activating receptor (CAR) targeting NKG2D. NKG2D, a key activating receptor found on naturally occurring NK cells, induces a cell-killing immune response through the detection of stress ligands that are widely and specifically expressed on cancer cells. With NKX101, NKG2D expression is increased by 10-fold and cytotoxic activity increased by 4-fold compared to non-engineered NK cells in preclinical models. NKX101 is also designed to express membrane-bound IL-15, which in preclinical models enhances the activity and persistence of the engineered NK cells. Nkarta’s proprietary manufacturing processes enable the evaluation of cryopreserved NKX101, expanding trial access across multiple clinical centers. \"Despite recent treatment breakthroughs, AML patients who relapse after front-line therapy still have poor outcomes, underscoring the need for new treatment options for this aggressive and lethal blood cancer,” said Carlos Bachier, M.D., Director of Cellular Therapy Research, Sarah Cannon Research Institute and Program Director for Sarah Cannon Center for Blood Cancer at TriStar Centennial Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee, where the first patient has been treated. “To date, the significant clinical benefit achieved with CAR T cell therapies in the treatment of B cell lymphomas and acute lymphocytic leukemia has not extended to AML or other myeloid malignant disorders. The investigation of NKG2D-targeting and the tumor-killing potential of an engineered innate immune cell type is a promising new approach.” “An extensive body of academic research has already shown increased expression of...