Express one-step transformation of 4 types of cells, delivery of 5 types of mRNA, innovative solid tumor cell therapy into the clinic

▎WuXi AppTec Content Team Editor On January 24, 2022, SQZ Biotechnologies announced that the US FDA has approved its IND application for a Phase 1/2 clinical trial of its mRNA-based cell therapy SQZ-eAPC-HPV
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The trial will target patients with human papillomavirus (HPV) 16-positive solid tumors, including head and neck, cervical and anal cancers, whose disease has progressed after standard treatment
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SQZ's technology platform, called "Cell Squeeze," uses microfluidic chips made of silicon-glass that squeeze cells at high speeds, creating temporary pores in the cell membrane that last only a few seconds
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These pores allow the smooth entry of various biological materials or drug molecules, including proteins, nucleic acids, and carbon nanotubes
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Moreover, this technique hardly affects the gene expression of the cells, thus maintaining the normal function of the cells
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Currently, SQZ has developed dozens of chips to extrude cells of different sizes, enabling genetic engineering of cells without the need for viral vectors
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▲Cell Squeeze technology platform (Source: SQZ official website) HPV is one of the most common viruses in the world.
HPV-positive tumors account for 4.
5% of all cancers in the world, resulting in about 630,000 new cases each year
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HPV infection is involved in the formation of more than 90% of anal and cervical cancers, as well as most vaginal (75%), oropharyngeal (70%), vulvar (70%) and penile (60%) cancers has a great effect
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SQZ-eAPC-HPV delivers 5 different mRNAs to the patient's monocytes, T cells, B cells and natural killer (NK) cells, which can confer 5 different functions to 4 different cells in one step
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Preclinical results showed that SQZ eAPCs were able to generate robust CD8-positive T cell responses against multiple antigens, including HPV16 protein
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The Phase 1/2 clinical trial is aimed at patients with HPV16-positive advanced or metastatic solid tumors
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The trial was divided into two parts, the first designed to evaluate the safety and tolerability of multiple doses of SQZ-eAPC-HPV in previously treated patients
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The second part of the trial will assess the clinical response of the therapy in a population of patients who received less prior treatment
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▲SQZ Biotechnologies founder and CEO Dr.
Armon Sharei Related reading: "Cells can do more than viruses" - "extruded" cell therapy SQZ Biotechnologies CEO and founder Dr.
Armon Sharei said: " By simultaneously multi-engineering patient monocytes, B cells, T cells, and NK cells, we are able to integrate antigen presentation and enhanced immune function into a clinical candidate that could be a powerful weapon against solid tumors
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"Reference: [1] SQZ Biotechnologies Announces FDA Clearance of Investigational New Drug (IND) Application for SQZ-eAPC-HPV, a Novel mRNA-based Cell Therapy for the Treatment of HPV16 Positive Solid Tumors.
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