EMERYVILLE, CA–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Eureka Therapeutics, Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing novel T-cell therapies to treat cancer, today announced the publication of a study in the New England Journal of Medicine entitled GPRC5D-Targeted CAR T Cells for Myeloma. The study was conducted by Dr. Eric Smith of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Dr. Renier Brentjens of the Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center and Dr. Sham Mailankody of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK).
The GPRC5D binder used in the study was developed by Eureka using its proprietary E-ALPHA® platform in collaboration with MSK. Eureka and MSK licensed the binder to Juno Therapeutics/Bristol Myers Squib for CAR use in 2016 and to Sanofi for non-CAR use in 2021.
While B cell maturation antigen (BCMA)-directed chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapies have resulted in responses in patients with multiple myeloma, relapses associated with low to negative BCMA expression are common. Preclinical studies have demonstrated the efficacy of G protein-coupled receptor, class C, group 5, member D (GPRC5D)-targeted CAR T-cell therapy in multiple myeloma, including in BCMA antigen escape models (Smith EL et al Science TransMed 2019).
In this study, 17 patients were enrolled and received GPRC5D-CAR T-cell therapy (MCARH109), including patients who had previously received BCMA therapies. At the highest dose (450 million CAR-T cells), 1 patient had cytokine release syndrome and grade 4 neurotoxicity and 2 patients had delayed cerebellar toxicities; there were no treatment-related deaths. The maximum tolerated dose was determined using 150 million CAR-T cells. Responses were reported in 71% of patients across the cohort and in 58% of patients receiving the lower doses of 25 million to 150 million cells. Patients who had previously relapsed after BCMA-targeted CAR T-cell therapy responded similarly to those who were CAR-naïve.
“The data confirm GPRC5D as an active immunotherapeutic target in multiple myeloma,” said Eric Smith, MD, Ph.D., and co-inventor of CARs for the treatment of multiple myeloma. “We look forward to advancing this program either as a standalone therapy or as a combination therapy with BCMA-targeted CARs.”
“We are thrilled that the positive results of the GPRC5D-targeted CD28/4-1BB-CAR study have been published in such a prestigious journal,” said Dr. Cheng Liu, President and Chief Executive Officer of Eureka Therapeutics. “The results reinforce our commitment to develop the next generation of safer and more effective T cell therapies to treat cancer patients.”
ABOUT EUREKA THERAPEUTICS, INC.
Eureka Therapeutics, Inc. is a privately held, clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing novel T-cell therapies for the treatment of cancer. Its core technology focuses on its proprietary ARTEMIS® cell receptor platform and E-ALPHA® antibody discovery platform for the discovery and development of potentially safer and more effective T cell therapies for the treatment of solid tumors and hematological malignancies. The company currently has two clinical programs, ET140203 (ARYA1 for adults and ARYA2 for children) and ECT204 (ARYA3), in Phase I/II US studies in patients with advanced liver cancer.
Eureka Therapeutics, Inc. is headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area. For more information about Eureka, visit www.eurekatherapeutics.com.
