Chimeric Therapeutics Ltd (ASX:CHM) has highlighted encouraging data from its Phase I study in patients with recurrent glioblastoma attracting a 'Speculative Buy Class A' recommendation from Bioshares.
Promisingly, of the four patients treated, at the lowest dose of 44 million cells, three of the four patients achieved disease control for up to eight weeks from a single infusion of the treatment.
Chimeric is in the second cohort of patients (88 million cells) with the third cohort expected to open early next year (220 million cells).
The following are excerpts from the Bioshares' research report.
Phase I study
In the first four patients treated with CLTX-CART, there were no dose-limiting toxicities, however, one patient experienced a grade 3 cerebral edema that may or may not have been linked to the treatment.
The major side effect from CAR T products is cytokine release syndrome (CRS), although management of this effect is improving.
In Chimeric's study, no evidence of CRS has so far been observed, with the therapy being injected into the tumour and CSF, rather than by infusion into the bloodstream, the systemic side effect profile may be different from approved products for the treatment of blood-based cancers.
Conversely, the treatment effect of CAR T products is exceptionally good; complete response rates complete remission rates for approved therapies are 28%, 32%, 51%, 52%, 54%, 60%, 62% and 83% for the eight approved indications.
Recent appointments
In August this year, Chimeric has appointed Jennifer Chow as CEO of the company.
Chow is highly experienced in CAR T products having worked on four of the five approved therapies (Yescarta, Tecartus, Breyanzi and Abecma).
Chow was formerly Head of Global Marketing Analytics and Commercial Operations at Kite Pharma and also she was the Global Cell Therapy Commercial Lead at Celgene.
The company has also installed a highly experienced glioblastoma Scientific Advisory Board and a Cellular Immunotherapy Scientific Advisory Board which comprises 10 experts in these respective fields.
Forward plan
Chimeric intends to start a Phase I study next year with a second CAR T program, CDH17 CAR T, which was in-licensed from the University of Pennsylvania.
This week Chimeric announced the acquisition of a third technology, that being an allogenic, natural killer (NK) cell immunotherapy platform from Case Western University.
The company expects to have at least eight trials underway or completed by the end of 2023 in 10 different disease areas.
In 2023, Chimeric intends to start four additional studies with this technology.
The first will be with a next-generation NK technology with two other studies to be conducted that will combine the NK technology with the proprietary CLTX and CDH17 targeting domains already in development, also using chimeric antigen receptors (CAR).
Furthermore, the fourth study focus is on an undisclosed target.