On August 5, 2021 TCR2 Therapeutics Inc. (Nasdaq: TCRR), a clinical-stage cell therapy company with a pipeline of novel T cell therapies for patients suffering from cancer, reported financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2021 and provided a corporate update (Press release, TCR2 Therapeutics, AUG 5, 2021, View Source [SID1234585908]).

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"As we enter the second half of the year, we are approaching the conclusion of the Phase 1 portion of our gavo-cel clinical trial and selection of an RP2D. We look forward to presenting safety, efficacy and translational data from at least 17 patients, up to dose level 5, in an oral presentation at the European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO) (Free ESMO Whitepaper) Congress on September 17," said Garry Menzel, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of TCR2 Therapeutics. "We believe that gavo-cel has the potential to significantly improve the standard of care for patients with treatment refractory mesothelin-expressing solid tumors. We are focused on identifying the RP2D before the end of 2021 to advance this program into Phase 2 where we can more definitively evaluate efficacy, including retreatment with gavo-cel and combinations with checkpoint inhibitors. We also remain committed to advancing our broad emerging pipeline, including new enhancements, allogeneic TRuC-T cells and new targets and look forward to showcasing these programs at our upcoming virtual R&D Day."

Recent Developments

Gavo-cel:

TCR2 announced today the Company plans to present new clinical data from the dose escalation portion of the Phase 1/2 clinical trial of gavo-cel in patients with treatment refractory mesothelin-expressing solid tumors as part of an oral presentation on September 17 at 14:20 CEST (8:20am EST) at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) (Free ESMO Whitepaper) Congress 2021 being held in-person from September 16-21, 2021. The presentation will include long-term follow-up from initial and new patients from the Phase 1 dose escalation, with data from additional non-mesothelioma patients, and will focus on safety, efficacy and translational data at dose levels 3 (1×108 cells/m2 with lymphodepletion), 4 (5×108 cells/m2 without lymphodepletion) and 5 (5×108 cells/m2 with lymphodepletion).
Corporate:

TCR2 announced today that it will host a virtual R&D Day on Wednesday, October 20, 2021 to showcase the broad emerging pipeline focusing on its enhancements, allogeneic strategies and new targets.
TCR2 announced the appointment of Peter Olagunju as its first Chief Technical Officer where he will oversee process development, manufacturing, quality control and technical operations for the Company’s TRuC-T cell programs and emerging pipeline. Previously, Mr. Olagunju was Senior Vice President of Technical Operations at FerGene, Inc. Before that, Mr. Olagunju was Vice President of Global Patient Operations at bluebird bio, Inc., where he held several roles of increasing responsibility and was the program lead and functional head of manufacturing supporting the European approval for ZYNTEGLO, a transformational gene therapy for Transfusion dependent Thalassemia.
Anticipated Milestones

TCR2 to highlight interim progress from the Phase 1 portion of the gavo-cel Phase 1/2 clinical trial for patients with mesothelin-expressing solid tumors in an abstract at the 2021 World Conference on Lung Cancer.
TCR2 to highlight additional safety, efficacy and translational data from all patients receiving therapy up to dose level 5 (second and third gavo-cel doses) in the Phase 1 portion of the gavo-cel Phase 1/2 clinical trial focused on mesothelin-expressing solid tumors in an oral presentation at the ESMO (Free ESMO Whitepaper) Congress 2021.
TCR2 to present an interim update from the Phase 1 portion of the TC-110 Phase 1/2 clinical trial for patients with CD19+ non-Hodgkin lymphoma or adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia in the second half of 2021.
TCR2 plans to file an IND for TC-510, the first enhanced TRuC-T cell (targeting mesothelin with a PD-1:CD28 switch), in the second half of 2021.
TCR2 plans to select a development candidate for its allogeneic program in the second half of 2021.
TCR2 to present preclinical data on its IL-15 enhancements program in the fourth quarter of 2021.
TCR2 to host virtual R&D Day focused on the broad emerging pipeline on October 20, 2021.
TCR2 anticipates production of clinical trial material from ElevateBio LLC and its manufacturing facility in Stevenage, UK, both in anticipation of demand from the Phase 2 expansion trial of gavo-cel, in 2022.
Financial Highlights

Cash Position: TCR2 ended the second quarter of 2021 with $317.3 million in cash, cash equivalents, and investments compared to $228.0 million as of December 31, 2020. Net cash used in operations was $15.0 million for the second quarter of 2021 compared to $16.0 million for the second quarter of 2020. TCR2 projects net cash use of $100-110 million for 2021, which includes tenant improvements to the Rockville facility. We expect cash on hand to support operations through 2023.

R&D Expenses: Research and development expenses were $18.6 million for the second quarter of 2021 compared to $12.9 million for the second quarter of 2020. The increase in R&D expenses was primarily due to an increase in headcount, additional lab facilities, and manufacturing facilities.

G&A Expenses: General and administrative expenses were $5.7 million for the second quarter of 2021 compared to $3.8 million for the second quarter of 2020. The increase in general and administrative expenses was primarily due to an increase in personnel costs and external professional fees.

Net Loss: Net loss was $24.3 million for the second quarter of 2021 compared to $16.2 million for the second quarter of 2020.
Adoption of New Lease Standard

During the second quarter of 2021, TCR2 adopted the new lease standard ASC 842 effective January 1, 2021. The lease standard requires companies to record right-of-use assets and lease liabilities for all leases. With the adoption of the new lease standard, the Company removed its facility in Rockville, MD as an asset under a built-to-suit lease in the amount of $41 million and removed the associated liabilities of $37 million. As of June 30, 2021, the Company’s right-of-use assets under operating leases, including the Rockville facility, were $30.6 million and operating lease liabilities were $27.6 million.

Upcoming Events

TCR2 Therapeutics management is scheduled to participate at the following upcoming conferences.

2021 Wedbush PacGrow Healthcare Conference: Robert Hofmeister, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer of TCR2 Therapeutics, will participate in a panel using a virtual platform on Tuesday, August 10, 2021 at 9:45am ET