On November 7, 2022 Tessa Therapeutics Ltd. (Tessa), a clinical-stage cell therapy company developing next-generation cancer treatments for hematological malignancies and solid tumors, reported the execution of an exclusive agreement with Baylor College of Medicine for worldwide commercial rights to the allogeneic Epstein-Barr virus specific T-cell (EBVST) technology platform developed jointly by Tessa’s Scientific Co-Founder, Malcolm Brenner, M.D., Ph.D., and his colleagues Cliona Rooney Ph.D. and Helen Heslop M.D., D.Sc. at Baylor College of Medicine (Press release, Tessa Therapeutics, NOV 7, 2022, View Source [SID1234623204]). Tessa is currently advancing a pipeline of products that utilize CD30.CAR-modified EBVSTs, including its lead allogeneic cell therapy, TT11X, which is being co-developed for the treatment of relapsed or refractory CD30-positive lymphomas.
Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:
Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing
Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!
CD30.ALLO Virus specific T-cells (VSTs) are highly specialized T cells that can recognize CD30+ tumors. CD30 Allogeneic VSTs without genetic modification have demonstrated a strong safety profile and efficacy in early trials with minimal risk of Graft vs Host Disease (GVHD). During the development of the allogeneic technology platform, Tessa and Baylor College of Medicine had an exclusive option agreement for commercial rights to the technology.
Clinical data from an ongoing Phase 1 study of TT11X in CD30-positive lymphomas (BESTA) has demonstrated a favorable safety profile and encouraging signs of efficacy with clinical responses observed in seven of nine patients, including a complete disappearance of tumors reported in four patients. TT11X was recently recognized in the "Most Promising Off-the-Shelf Therapies" category at the Asia-Pacific Cell & Gene Therapy Excellence Awards (ACGTEA) 2022.
"Allogeneic or ‘off-the-shelf’ CAR-T therapies have the potential to change the paradigm of cancer treatment, and we believe the allogeneic EBVST platform developed at the Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, at Baylor College of Medicine places Tessa at the forefront of a very substantial therapeutic and business opportunity," said Thomas Willemsen, Tessa’s President and Chief Executive Officer. "Securing exclusive worldwide commercial rights for therapies developed using the EBVST platform is an important value driver for Tessa as we continue to advance TT11X as a potential treatment for CD30-positive lymphomas, while exploring opportunities to extend the technology to other cancer indications, including solid tumors."