Chimeric Therapeutics Ltd (ASX:CHM) has teamed up with Be The Match BioTherapies to advance its CHM 1101 Chlorotoxin CAR T (CLTX CAR T) treatment candidate.
The clinical-stage cell therapy company will leverage the new partnership, set to run for an initial three-year term, to accelerate its development timelines and expand trial access for CHM 1101.
CHM 1101 (CLTX CAR T) is a novel and promising CAR T cell therapy under development at the renowned City of Hope cancer research centre in California.
The treatment candidate is currently being evaluated in a single-site, Phase 1 clinical trial to treat patients with recurrent or progressive glioblastoma, and a second Phase 1 study is slated to kick off this year.
Down the line, Chimeric’s partnership with Be The Match will help expand the program to additional clinical trial sites.
Supporting an aggressive timeline
Speaking to the deal, Chimeric CEO Jennifer Chow said Be The Match was “an ideal partner” for the company and would extend the reach and resources of its cell therapy team.
“With its focused mission and the NMDP/Be The Match’s 30-plus years of experience in managing the complexity and risks of cell therapy logistics, we believe that the team at Be The Match BioTherapies is uniquely positioned to support the expansion of the CHM 1101 (CLTX CAR T) development program,” she explained.
“We are proud to partner with Chimeric and support its aggressive timeline by providing optimised solutions that focus on process improvement and standardisation implementation to accelerate product development and delivery,” said Be The Match senior vice president of sales and business development Chris McClain.
“We have a shared commitment to advance next-generation cell therapies for waiting patients, and we intend to help them achieve their targets.”
The fine print
Chimeric claims the partnership won’t have a material impact on its bottom line in the context of its annual budgeted expenditure.
Further, any expenses associated with the deal will be funded from the company’s existing cash coffers.
There are no conditions precedent to the partnership proceeding, and the agreement is subject to the stock standard termination provisions.
About CLTX CAR T
Chimeric’s Chlorotoxin CAR T candidate is a first and best-in-class CAR T cell therapy that has the potential to address the high unmet medical need of patients with recurrent/progressive glioblastoma.
Essentially, the CLTX CAR T cell therapy uses chlorotoxin, a peptide derived from scorpion toxin, as the tumour-targeting component of the chimeric antigen receptor (CAR).
CLTX and CLTX CAR T cells have been shown in preclinical models to bind more broadly and specifically to glioblastoma cells than other targeting domains, meaning they could be more effective treatment candidates.
In preclinical models, CLTX CAR T cells also demonstrated potent anti-tumour activity against glioblastoma while not exhibiting any off-tumour recognition of normal human cells and tissues, indicating a potentially optimal safety and efficacy profile.