On May 24, 2019 Medigene AG (FSE: MDG1, Prime Standard), a clinical stage immuno-oncology company focusing on the development of T cell immunotherapies, reported that two scientific posters with preclinical data on an HA-1-specific T-cell receptor and a NY-ESO-1/LAGE-1-specific T-cell receptor were shown on 21 May 2019 during the CIMT (Free CIMT Whitepaper) Annual Meeting in Mainz. Prof. Dolores Schendel also gave a presentation on 23 May on the topic: "Matching future needs for world patient populations needing TCR-T therapies with different antigen specificities and HLA restrictions" (Press release, MediGene, MAY 24, 2019, View Source [SID1234536574]).
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The first poster was entitled: "HA-1-specific T-cell receptors for the treatment of hematological malignancies" and showed how a minor histocompatibility antigen like HA-1 can play an important role in the graft versus leukemia effect after an allogenic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. As the expression of HA-1 is restricted to the hematopoietic system., it is a promising target for the treatment of malignancies resulting from these cells. If donor and patient have the right mismatch in HA-1, adoptive T cell immunotherapy targeting HA-1 can theoretically be used after allogenic stem cell transplantation to prevent relapse or as treatment for relapse. To not be limited to the T cell receptor (TCR) repertoire of a stem cell donor, Medigene used its TCR platform to isolate HA-1-specific TCRs from healthy donors. In summary, Medigene was able to efficiently isolate and characterize TCRs specific for the minor histocompatibility antigen HA-1, that can be considered for TCR-T immunotherapy.
Medigene plans to conduct a Phase I clinical trial with Medigene’s T cell receptor (TCR) modified T cell therapy MDG1021 targeting the HA-1 antigen. The study is scheduled to start in 2020 as Medigene’s second company-sponsored clinical TCR-T trial.
The second poster reported on "A safe and highly active NY-ESO-1/LAGE-1-specific TCR for adoptive T cell therapy of cancer". In summary, Medigene’s proprietary technology enabled the identification of a TCR lead candidate for a NY-ESO-1/LAGE-1-derived SLLMWITQC peptide (NY-ESO-1/LAGE-1157-165) presented on HLA-A*02:01 molecules. It demonstrated high natural affinity and potent preclinical efficacy. Moreover, its favorable preclinical in vitro safety profile proves the technology valuable for obtaining TCRs with properties qualifying for clinical application.
The Association for Cancer Immunotherapy CIMT (Free CIMT Whitepaper) is a member-based information and education platform that facilitates the knowledge exchange between academic and industry scientists, physicians and regulatory authorities who research and develop cancer immunotherapies. Every year, CIMT (Free CIMT Whitepaper) organizes the largest and most influential international cancer immunotherapy meeting in Europe.