Advances in blood cancer treatment, specifically CAR-T therapy, are transitioning to targeting solid tumors that contain specific molecular signatures. Companies such as Novartis and Celgene have helped accelerate CAR-T research with their portfolios of possible therapies for multiple cancer indications. Celgene recently added to its lymphoma program JCAR017, which is a CD19-directed CAR-T product for relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). Peak sales of the drug, which the FDA may approve in 2019, are forecast to be approximately $3 billion.

Generally, such therapies for solid tumors are challenging to develop since the tumors are in a hostile environment that keeps CAR-T cells from entering the surroundings. Also, it can be difficult to determine the location of proteins on tumor cells that are not present in the normal tissue.

Adoptive cell transfer (ACT) is another type of therapy that targets solid tumors, as are TCR-engineered T cells. Present in T cells, TCRs are natural receptors that can recognize proteins that are not in the plasma membrane, which is key for CARs. RXi Pharmaceuticals and Tarveda Therapeutics are among the companies leading advancements in this area.

Hospitals, academic institutions and medical centers are leading CAR-T development efforts, with 362 clinical trials. The NIH and National Cancer Institute are conducting 84 trials, while University Pennsylvania is involved in 37. Other organizations accelerating CAR-T development include Baylor College of Medicine, City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center and Texas Children’s Hospitals, as well as companies such as Gilead Sciences/Kite Pharma, Takara Bio and Bellicum Pharmaceuticals.

Source: PharmExec