Arovella Therapeutics Ltd (ASX:ALA) and Imugene Ltd (ASX:IMU, OTC:IUGNF) continue to progress their research collaboration with regard to AVL’s CAR19-iNKT cell therapy (ALA-101) and IMU’s onCARlytics therapy (CF33-CD19).
The companies have achieved positive results showing that the combination of ALA-101 and CF33-CD19 kills solid tumour cells in vitro.
Data will be presented shortly, with the companies now looking to move to the next stage of trials which will be to test the combination in vivo (mouse models).
Arovella hopes to open potential new therapeutic targets for ALA-101 in solid tumours as it expands its pipeline.
Imugene’s onCARlytics platform induces solid tumour cells to express CD19 on their surface, allowing them to be targeted by therapies, such as ALA-101 that target cancer cells through CD19.
Solid tumours represent 90% of diagnosed cancer cases and as of 2021, the solid tumour market was valued at US$210 billion
Pleasing data for ALA
“We are pleased by the first set of data and delighted to continue the partnership with Imugene and its onCARlytics platform,” Arovella CEO and MD Dr Michael Baker said.
“Combining the two platforms made sense scientifically and seeing this play out in practise is exciting, given the impact this combination of therapeutics could have in solid tumours.”
Imugene’s CEO and MD Leslie Chong said, “The data from the initial studies looks promising. We look forward to capturing the data from the next phase of testing.”
Arovella continues to move first in human clinical trials for the treatment of blood cancers . The company is working on completing clinical manufacturing and IND-enabling studies.