Biotech Strategy Blog

Commentary on Science, Innovation & New Products with a focus on Oncology, Hematology & Cancer Immunotherapy

Posts tagged ‘CTL019 CLL’

Juno Therapeutics takes on Novartis and seeks to revolutionize the treatment of blood cancers – an interview with Renier Brentjens

One of the benefits of attending the American Society of Hematology (ASH) annual meeting that finished earlier this week in New Orleans is the opportunity to talk to experts who are at the forefront of their field.

Picture of Dr Renier Brentjens, Director of Cell Therapeutics, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center

Picture Credit: MSKCC

Renier Brentjens, MD PhD,  is Director of Cell Therapeutics at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) and one of the scientific founders of Juno Therapeutics (Juno), a start-up company that recently raised $120M in Series A financing.

Luke Timmerman wrote about the company launch on Xconomy and you can read the Dec 4 press release from Juno here.

juno-therapeuticsLike a modern day David versus Goliath, Juno Therapeutics has set itself up to compete with Novartis in the exciting world of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) modified T cell therapy that has already shown dramatic results in pediatric and adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).

A lot of media attention has focused on the Novartis collaboration with the University of Pennsylvania to develop a novel therapy using CAR modified T cells (CART-19/CTL019) that can be directed against tumor cells that express the CD19 antigen.

The potential promise of CAR modified T cell therapies has already led to a flurry of law suits between the St Jude Children’s Hospital (St Jude) and University of Pennyslvania (U Penn).

According to the Daily Pennsylvanian, U Penn are seeking to invalidate a St Jude patent while St Jude have claimed violations of the terms of a material transfer agreement that allowed access by Carl June (U Penn) to work done by Dario Campana (St Jude).

It will be interesting to see what intellectual property Novartis actually owns and whether they did a thorough enough due diligence prior to licensing the rights to CTL019 from U Penn.

Subscribers to premium content can login to read my interview with Renier Brentjens and listen to audio excerpts from what was a fascinating conversation about a new immunotherapy that has the potential to revolutionize hematology.

ASH 2013 Novel Treatments for CLL – notes from the road

New Orleans – the hematology diehards were up early yesterday for the 7.30 am oral session on some of the most interesting data at the annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology (ASH) on potential new treatments for Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL).

Just to make sure everyone’s Fitbits were well exercised, the organizers put the session in the farthest end of the Convention center! Like many of the CLL sessions, it was a full house with multiple financial analysts sitting in the row behind me taking copious notes and pictures.  Unlike at ASCO, there is no virtual meeting, so you can’t replay any of the oral scientific sessions at a later date. If you didn’t see it, you missed it! There’s no substitute for boots on the ground.

What this post is about is my subjective opinion and top-line impressions of the information presented and some of the key strategic issues and challenges that came across listening to a full presentation of the latest data. I’m not going to rehash the press releases and the abstract data, most readers have already assimilated that.

It’s what it says — notes from the road — the kind of things I’d write in a trip report if I were in a company.

The four presentations covered in this post are:

Abstract 871: Dinaciclib (SCH 727965) Is a Novel Cyclin-Dependent Kinase (CDK) Inhibitor That Exhibits Activity In Patients With Relapsed Or Refractory Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL).

Abstract 872: Bcl-2 Inhibitor ABT-199 (GDC-0199) Monotherapy Shows Anti-Tumor Activity Including Complete Remissions In High-Risk Relapsed/Refractory (R/R) Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) and Small Lymphocytic Lymphoma (SLL).

Abstract 873: Randomized, Phase II Dose Optimization Study Of Chimeric Antigen Receptor Modified T Cells Directed Against CD19 (CTL019) In Patients With Relapsed, Refractory CLL.

Abstract 874: Phase I Trial Of Autologous CD19-Targeted CAR-Modified T Cells As Consolidation After Purine Analog-Based First-Line Therapy In Patients With Previously Untreated CLL.

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ASH 2012: CTL019 chimeric antigen receptor technology emerging as a new leukemia treatment

For many attendees, the most exciting news at the 2012 annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology (ASH) held last December in Atlanta was the prospect of personalized T cell therapy for the treatment of patients with B cell cancers such as chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).

The potential of this new treatment option was recognized at ASH 2012 by the award to Dr Bruce R. Blazar, MD and Carl H. June, MD of the Ernest Beutler Lecture and Prize for research that generated major translational advances in T-Cell Infusions.

ASH 2012: Carl June, MD receives Ernest Beutler Prize

ASH 2012: Carl June, MD receives Ernest Beutler Prize

Dr June, in his accompanying lecture discussed preliminary data for the trial of CTL019 (formerly CART-19), a novel chimeric antigen receptor-transduced T cell therapy against CD19. Subscribers to premium content can login to read more below: