Progress Seen in CDH17 CAR T Trial

Chimeric Therapeutics has reported that a neuroendocrine cancer patient in the Phase 1 clinical trial of CAR T cell therapy has experienced tumor shrinkage.  In an update for investors on October 8, Chimeric reported 8 patients have been treated so far, with two more waiting for treatment. Two of the 8 have intestinal NETs. 

The intestinal NET patient, and a colorectal cancer patient who also had tumor shrinkage, received an increased dose of cells, which is part of the trial design. The first NET patient, who received the initial lower dose, was stable for 150 days until disease progression.

Dr. Jason Litten, Chimeric’s Chief Medical Officer, said the results demonstrate that CDH17 CAR T therapy is “disease-modifying” and the goal is to show that CAR T cells expand and remain in the body to provide anti-tumor activity. As more patients are treated in the trial, the hope is that these positive signals will be seen more consistently. There were no safety issues or “off-target” effects. 

The trial of CDM CDH17, a cell therapy developed at the University of Pennsylvania by Dr Xianxin Hua, targets an antigen expressed on the top of cancer cells in neuroendocrine and some other gastrointestinal cancers.  NETRF funded the preclinical work beginning in 2014 to bring this innovative treatment from the bench to the clinic. 

A total of 15 patients will be treated in the Phase 1 trial. The trial is open at four sites–the University of Pennsylvania, Sarah Cannon Research Institute in Nashville, Winship Cancer Center at Emory University, and the University of Chicago.


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