Express "one arrow and three eagles" to treat solid tumors, CAR-M therapy obtains FDA fast track qualification

▎Editor of WuXi AppTec's content team On September 22, 2021, CARISMA Therapeutics announced that the US FDA has granted cell therapy CT-0508 fast track qualification
.

CT-0508 is a chimeric antigen receptor macrophage (CAR-M) therapy targeting human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) for the treatment of solid tumor patients
.

CAR-T therapy is effective in the treatment of hematological cancers, but it has no similar effects in the treatment of solid tumors.
This has a lot to do with the microenvironment of solid tumors and the heterogeneity of solid tumors
.

Solid tumors prevent T lymphocytes from infiltrating the tumor by constructing a tumor microenvironment with immunosuppressive properties
.

Even if some T lymphocytes can infiltrate solid tumors, their immune response may be limited by immunosuppressive cells or inhibitors in the microenvironment
.

The high heterogeneity of solid tumors limits the effect of CAR-T therapy targeting a single antigen
.

CT-0508 was originally developed by the co-founders of CARISMA, Professor Saar Gill and Dr.
Michael Klichinsky of the University of Pennsylvania
.

In a study published in Nature Biotechnology, they found that expressing chimeric antigen receptors (CAR) targeting tumor antigens on macrophages can make macrophages a "cellular weapon" for attacking solid tumors
.

This therapy is called CAR-M, and it successfully reduced tumors in animals and prolonged their lifespan in a mouse model of HER2-positive metastatic ovarian cancer
.

The genetically engineered macrophages not only express CAR that targets the HER2 antigen, but are also activated to differentiate into pro-inflammatory M1 macrophages
.

In this way, these CAR-M cells can not only target phagocytosis of tumor cells, but can also secrete pro-inflammatory cytokines to change the microenvironment near the tumor.
They can also present tumor antigens to T cells and activate T cells’ immune response to tumors.
, Can be described as "three eagles with one stone"
.

Image source: 123RFCT-0508 is currently undergoing a phase 1 clinical trial
.

The subject is a solid tumor patient whose cancer does not have any approved HER2 targeted therapies, or has recurrent/metastatic HER2 overexpression that is ineffective in current treatments
.

Mr.
Steven Kelly, CEO of CARISMA, said: “The FDA’s decision to grant CT-0508 Fast Track status is another important milestone in the development of genetic engineering-based cell therapies
.

This decision further demonstrates that the urgent need to accelerate development and review can potentially solve the problem.
Patients with unmet needs for new treatments, these cancer patients may not respond to existing treatments
.

"Reference: [1] CARISMA Therapeutics Announces US Food and Drug Administration Grants Fast Track Designation to CT-0508 for the Treatment of Patients with Solid Tumors.
Retrieved September 22, 2021, from https:// -releases/carisma-therapeutics-announces-us-food-and-drug-administration-grants-fast-track-designation-to-ct-0508-for-the-treatment-of-patients-with-solid-tumors-301381843 .
htmlDisclaimer: WuXi AppTec's content team focuses on introducing global biomedical health research progress
.

This article is for information exchange purposes only.
The views in the article do not represent WuXi AppTec's position, nor do it mean that WuXi AppTec supports or opposes the views
in the
article .
This article also It is not a treatment plan recommendation
.

If you need treatment plan guidance, please go to a regular hospital for treatment
.