Cynata Therapeutics Ltd (ASX:CYP) has received positive data from a preclinical model demonstrating the company’s proprietary Cymerus mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) significantly ameliorate the effects of cytokine release syndrome (CRS).
CRS is a potentially severe and life-threatening adverse reaction to cancer immunotherapy and the Cymerus treatment is effective in protecting against CRS in murine models, with statistically significant improvements in body temperature and clinical scores relative to control animals.
Cynata intends to partner with companies developing cancer immunotherapies to evaluate the treatment approach in humans.
Cynata vice president of product development Killian Kelly said cancer immunotherapy was one of the most exciting fields in medicine today.
Kelly said: “[Cancer immunotherapy offers] a potentially curative treatment option to patients with otherwise intractable and advanced disease.
“However, CRS is a common, unpredictable and potentially fatal complication that may limit treatment uptake.
“These results suggest that administering a single dose of Cymerus MSCs before, during or even shortly after cancer immunotherapy treatment may provide significant therapeutic benefit and a straightforward way of limiting adverse CRS reactions.”
READ: Cynata Therapeutics achieves stem cells world-first during Cymerus trial of tissue donor recipients
The preclinical study was led by associate professor Lisa Minter at the Unviersity of Massachusetts Amherst and evaluated Cymerus MSCs in a humanised murine model of CRS.
The murine model was created by engrafting human peripheral blood mononuclear cells in NOD-SCID-gamma mice, which were then administered with OKT3 (anti-human CD3) antibody by intra-peritoneal (IP) injection.
This resulted in consistent and significant decreases in body temperature, as well as increased clinical scores and increased T cell expression of the immune response activation marker CD69.
These results demonstrate the Cymerus MSCs administered intravenously or by IP injection offer substantial protection against CRS symptoms, with intravenous administration generally showing a more robust effect on cytokine reduction.