MD Anderson and Refuge Biotechnologies collaborate to advance next-generation cell therapies for treatment of solid tumors
Collaboration supports co-development of RB-340 CAR T cell therapy, application of Refuge¡¯s synthetic biology platform to MD Anderson TIL programs
MD Anderson News Release May 17, 2021
Â鶹ӳ» MD Anderson Cancer Center and Refuge Biotechnologies, Inc. today announced a strategic collaboration to advance new cell therapies for potential treatment of solid tumors. The agreement pairs Refuge¡¯s innovative technologies with the experience and industrial capabilities of MD Anderson¡¯s Biologics Development platform, within the Therapeutics Discovery division.
Under the agreement, MD Anderson will possess exclusive rights to apply Refuge¡¯s proprietary platform for next-generation cell engineering to its tumor infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) programs. MD Anderson also will co-develop Refuge¡¯s RB-340, a HER-2 targeted CAR T cell therapy with context dependent inducible down-regulation of PD-1, including Investigational New Drug (IND) filing, Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) production and Phase I/II clinical trials.
¡°MD Anderson has extensive expertise in developing and manufacturing innovative cell therapies, including groundbreaking work with TILs,¡± said Bing Wang, Ph.D., chief executive officer and co-founder of Refuge Biotechnologies. ¡°We look forward to working closely with MD Anderson researchers to apply our technology to this promising field of research, while also advancing development of our lead intelligent cell therapy program.¡±
Using Refuge¡¯s platform for programming cells to selectively react to tumor cells through direct modulation of gene expression utilizing CRISPR interference and activation, RB-340 is designed to conditionally and smartly down-regulate expression of PD-1 on approaching tumor cells, reducing T cell exhaustion and increasing T cell persistence and proliferation, thus creating better efficacy against solid tumors. Treatment with RB-340 in preclinical models has shown a clear survival benefit compared to conventional CAR T cell therapy. IND filing is anticipated in the first half of 2022, with clinical development of RB-340 focused in solid tumors.
Through its Biologics Development platform, MD Anderson is advancing research into therapeutic applications for TILs ¨C naturally occurring lymphocytes that can recognize cancer cells and penetrate a tumor. MD Anderson and Refuge will explore the use of Refuge¡¯s platform to engineer TILs for enhanced anti-tumor activity.
¡°It is my belief that TILs are poised for a significant impact in the field of cancer therapy, and engineering improved TILs is a vital part of advancing this modality,¡± said Jason Bock, Ph.D., vice president of Therapeutics Discovery and head of Biologics Development at MD Anderson. ¡°We have been encouraged by the data coming from Refuge¡¯s applications of its next generation, context dependent and inducible cell engineering platform, and we look forward to incorporating its potential into our TIL programs.¡±
MD Anderson¡¯s Biologics Development platform is built around an experienced team focused on pioneering impactful biologic therapeutics, including antibodies and cell therapies. With a state-of-the-art GMP cell therapy manufacturing facility, the platform unites MD Anderson research with industrial therapeutic development.