On March 10, 2021 SQZ Biotechnologies Company (NYSE: SQZ), a cell therapy company developing novel treatments for multiple therapeutic areas, reported that its team will present data on the next generation SQZ APCs and the broader applicability of the APC platform at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) (Free AACR Whitepaper) 2021 Annual Meeting being held virtually April 10-15, 2021 (Press release, SQZ Biotech, MAR 10, 2021, View Source [SID1234576430]). SQZ APC is a cell therapy platform that aims to induce powerful antigen specific CD8+ T cell responses. Two posters will highlight the additional functionality of enhanced APCs (eAPCs) and potential patient population expansion by leveraging multiple mRNA based cargos. A third poster describes SQZ APCs in development for additional tumor types targeting both G12D and G12V KRAS mutations.
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SQZ eAPCs are designed to build on the power of the SQZ APC platform to produce robust and specific CD8+ T cell activation through efficient MHC-I antigen presentation. The platform leverages the cargo flexibility of the Cell Squeeze technology to create next generation product candidates by delivering multiple mRNA to potentially further enhance T cell stimulation. SQZ eAPCs are being designed to incorporate immune-signaling that would otherwise require combinations with additional immune-oncology agents. In addition, the mRNA based antigen cargo is designed to present a broader range of tumor antigen epitopes, aiming to broaden the addressable patient population. The eAPC platform has the potential to be applicable across future oncology and infectious disease programs. Data examining these enhancement and additional information will be shared in two posters at AACR (Free AACR Whitepaper).
SQZ is also applying its flexible technology to additional tumor targets. KRAS G12D and G12V make up over half of all KRAS mutations, with approximately 100,000 patients per year having KRAS G12D or G12V mutated cancers in the United States. Leveraging the flexibility of the Cell Squeeze technology, SQZ APCs have elicited specific KRAS G12D and G12V CD8+ T cells responses preclinically in both animal models and in human cells. At AACR (Free AACR Whitepaper), we will show preclinical data for SQZ APCs activating CD8+ T cells against KRas G12D and KRas G12V when delivered individually or simultaneously.
"The flexibility of the Cell Squeeze technology enables us to rapidly pursue new tumor types, such as those with KRAS mutations, as well as to add diverse functionalities to our APCs," commented Howard Bernstein, MD, PhD, SQZ chief scientific officer. "Next generation eAPCs are building on the strength of our SQZ APC’s efficient and specific CD8 T cell activation. Further enhancing cytokine and costimulatory signalling could be an innovative way for us to provide the benefits of numerous immune-oncology mechanism combinations into a single cell therapy. "
SQZ eAPC Posters
Title: Enhancing Potency of Antigen Presenting Cells via Signal 2/3 mRNA Engineering through Cell Squeeze Technology
Abstract Number: 1525
Presenter: Emrah Ilker Ozay, PhD
Title: Cell Squeeze Delivery of Antigen-Encoding mRNA Enables Human PBMCs to Drive Antigen-Specific CD8+ T Cell Responses for Diverse Clinical Applications
Abstract Number: 2626
Presenter: Michael Maloney, PhD
SQZ APC KRAS Poster
Title: Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells Engineered Via Microfluidic Cell Squeeze Technology to Generate APCs that Drive Mutant-KRas-Specific CD8+ T Cell Responses
Abstract Number: 1524
Presenter: Carolyne Smith, PhD