LOS ANGELES, Nov. 12, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- ImmunoCellular
Therapeutics, Ltd. ("ImmunoCellular") (NYSE MKT: IMUC) today
announced it has entered into a sponsored research agreement with
Dr. Cassian Yee at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Dr.
Yee is an internationally recognized researcher and leading expert
in identifying and isolating cytotoxic T cells. He serves as
Professor, Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, Division of
Cancer Medicine, as well as Professor, Department of Immunology,
Division of Cancer Medicine, and Director, Solid Tumor Cell
Therapy, Center for Cancer Immunology Research, at MD Anderson.
Dr. Yee will focus on identifying T cells that strongly bind and
kill tumor cells expressing an undisclosed target antigen. Then the
T cell receptors (TCRs) will be sequenced and their corresponding
DNA will be placed into stem cells to create preclinical
therapeutic candidates for further evaluation. The ultimate
goal of this work is to enable a clinical program based on
hematopoietic stem cells that are isolated from the patient,
engineered in the lab and then returned to the patient to create a
population of antigen-specific killer T cells that target and kill
the tumor. ImmunoCellular's Stem-to-T-cell platform
technology has the potential to overcome the issue of short-lived T
cell responses seen with the present forms of T cell and CAR-T
therapies.
"The work on which Dr. Yee and ImmunoCellular are collaborating
is both exciting in what it represents for immuno-oncology, and
potentially groundbreaking, as it has not previously been
accomplished on a large scale," said Steven
Swanson, PhD, ImmunoCellular Senior Vice President,
Research. "The identification of novel TCR sequences for
application in stem cells has the potential to launch this program
toward clinical testing. We are privileged to be working with an
immune-oncologist of Dr. Yee's stature, and believe that this work
has the potential to position our Stem-to-T-cell program as one of
the most promising in the industry."
"With our lead phase 3 program ICT-107 underway and financed, we
are now focusing additional resources and attention on moving our
Stem-to-T-cell program toward clinical development," said
Andrew Gengos, ImmunoCellular Chief
Executive Officer. "Our collaboration with Dr. Yee and MD Anderson
is an important step in our efforts to build a leading cancer
immunotherapy company, and we look forward to potentially
establishing more collaborations and bringing additional promising
technologies into ImmunoCellular."
About ImmunoCellular's Stem-to-T-Cell Program
ImmunoCellular's dendritic cell-based immunotherapy platform and
its Stem-to-T-cell platform represent complementary approaches that
lead to the same result: to kill the tumor by creating a population
of antigen specific T-cells that can specifically recognize and
kill cancer cells as well as cancer stem cells.
Dendritic cell-based immunotherapies creates a dendritic cell
outside of the patient's body, using the patient's own white blood
cells which, when reintroduced into the patient's body, are
programmed to find the killer T-cells and essentially teach them
what to look for in the cancer and kill cancer cells.
In contrast, based on the technology in-licensed from Caltech
last year, ImmunoCellular's Stem-to-T-cell program starts with
hematopoietic stem cells which are then engineered outside of the
patient's body such that when they are reintroduced, they divide
into themselves, and into daughter cells which are antigen-specific
killer T-cells.
ImmunoCellular's Stem-to-T-cell program is designed to harness
the power of the immune system in highly directed and specific ways
to engineer highly antigen-specific tumor killing. At the core of
the Stem-to-T-cell technology is harvesting stem cells from cancer
patients and then cloning into them T cell receptors that are
specific for cancer cells. These engineered stem cells will then be
reintroduced into the patient and are pre-programed to produce
daughter cells that are antigen specific killer T cells that are
capable of identifying, binding to, and killing cancer cells.
Because stem cells are immortal, these reengineered stem cells
could provide a natural and perpetual source of T cells that can
target and destroy cancer cells in the patient.
An important component of the Stem-to-T-cell program is
identification and selection of a T cell receptor that is capable
of binding to tumor cells. It is this T cell receptor that
will be transferred into the hematopoietic stem cell, and that
allows the stem cell to produce cytotoxic T cells that can bind and
kill tumor cells.
About ImmunoCellular Therapeutics, Ltd.
ImmunoCellular Therapeutics, Ltd. is a Los Angeles-based clinical-stage company that
is developing immune-based therapies for the treatment of brain and
other cancers. ImmunoCellular has concluded a phase 2 trial of its
lead product candidate, ICT-107, a dendritic cell-based
immunotherapy targeting multiple tumor-associated antigens on
glioblastoma stem cells. ImmunoCellular's pipeline also includes:
ICT-121, a dendritic cell immunotherapy targeting the CD133 antigen
on stem cells in recurrent glioblastoma; ICT-140, a dendritic cell
immunotherapy targeting antigens on ovarian cancer stem cells; and
the Stem-to-T-cell research program which engineers the patient's
hematopoietic stem cells to generate antigen-specific
cancer-killing T-cells. To learn more about ImmunoCellular, please
visit www.imuc.com.
Forward-Looking Statements for ImmunoCellular Therapeutics
This press release contains certain forward-looking statements,
including statements regarding the development and
commercialization of ICT-107, initiation of a phase 3 study of
ICT-107, the advancement of the ICT-121 phase 1 trial, the
development of the Company's preclinical Stem-to-T-cell and related
research program efforts and its ability to achieve other clinical,
operational and financial goals. These statements are based on
ImmunoCellular's current expectations and involve significant risks
and uncertainties, including those described under the heading
"Risk Factors" in ImmunoCellular's most recently filed quarterly
report on Form 10-Q and annual report on Form 10-K. Except as
required by law, ImmunoCellular undertakes no obligation to update
or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of
new information, future events or otherwise.
Contact:
ImmunoCellular Therapeutics, Ltd.
Investor Relations
Jane Green
415.348.0010 direct
415.652.4819 mobile
jane@jmgcomm.com
Logo -
http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140109/AQ43875LOGO
To view the original version on PR Newswire,
visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/immunocellular-therapeutics-enters-into-sponsored-research-agreement-with-university-of-texas-md-anderson-cancer-center-to-advance-stem-to-t-cell-program-300177236.html
SOURCE ImmunoCellular Therapeutics, Ltd.