On February 26, 2019 Immatics reported a collaboration with Roche to evaluate the safety and efficacy of IMA101, Immatics’ investigational autologous cell therapy, in combination with atezolizumab (TECENTRIQ), in patients with solid cancers (Press release, immatics biotechnologies, FEB 26, 2019, View Source [SID1234554002]).
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IMA101 is a personalized, multi-targeted investigational immunotherapy for the treatment of multiple advanced/ metastatic solid tumors. IMA101 is based on Immatics’ ACTolog approach, which follows the principle of expanding target-specific endogenous T-cells, a technique pioneered by Cassian Yee, M.D., Professor of Melanoma Medical Oncology at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.
The combination trial will evaluate potential synergistic effects generated by using the investigational immunotherapies together, as atezolizumab may enhance IMA101’s ability to kill cancer cells by blocking inhibitory immune checkpoints.
The combination clinical trial which is expected to begin later this year under an amendment to the ACTolog IMA101-101 study protocol (Clinicaltrials.gov: NCT02876510) will be conducted at MD Anderson, led by Apostolia Tsimberidou, M.D., Ph.D., Professor of Department of Investigational Cancer Therapeutics at MD Anderson.
Stephen Eck, M.D., Ph.D., Chief Medical Officer (CMO) at Immatics US, Inc., said: "Our innovative ACTolog process allows us to utilize a patient’s own T cells to generate a targeted approach for treating solid tumors with increased safety and efficacy potential. We are extremely pleased that, in collaboration with our long-term partner, we are now combining this promising personalized cell therapy with atezolizumab."
About ACTolog T-cell therapy
The ACTolog IMA101 phase 1 clinical trial is led by Prof. Apostolia Tsimberidou, Professor at the Department of Investigational Cancer Therapeutics at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and co-funded by the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT). The ACTolog concept is based on the principle of endogenous T-cell therapy pioneered by Professor Cassian Yee, M.D. Unlike tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes, ACTolog T-cell products are generated from peripheral blood cells with defined target selectivity. Utilizing its proprietary antigen discovery platform XPRESIDENT, Immatics has created a warehouse of eight cancer targets. From this warehouse, the most suitable targets for each patient’s tumor are identified by analyzing the tumor biomarkers. Up to four personalized T-cell products are then activated and manufactured for each patient by isolation and enrichment of the patient’s endogenous T cells in vitro. Billions of such activated and specific T cells are then re-infused into the cancer patient to attack the tumor. The ACTolog T-cell products are manufactured at The Evelyn H. Griffin Stem Cell Therapeutics Research Laboratory in collaboration with The University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston (UTHealth).