Cancer moonshot 2020 milestone: novel-novel
combination of GPS Cancer guided cell based NK cell therapy and
fusion proteins in QUILT trial
Altor BioScience Corporation (Altor), a leading developer of
novel cytokine-based immunotherapeutics for cancer and infectious
diseases and NantKwest Inc. (Nasdaq: NK), a clinical-stage
immunotherapy company focused on harnessing the unique power of
off-the-shelf Natural Killer (NK) cells to treat cancer, infectious
diseases and inflammatory disorders announced today the
establishment of a co-development agreement focused on Altor’s lead
candidates developed from its proprietary technology platforms,
based on cytokines Interleukin-15 (IL-15) and Interleukin-2 (IL-2),
that are currently in several Phase 1/2 clinical trials for
hematologic and solid tumors.
Under the terms of the agreement, Altor and NantKwest will
exclusively collaborate on the development of therapeutic
applications combining Altor’s proprietary IL-15 superagonist
(ALT-803) and its single-chain T cell receptor/IL-2 fusion protein
(ALT-801) products with NantKwest’s proprietary NK cell therapy
platforms for oncology indications. Financial terms of this
co-development are not disclosed.
Hing C. Wong, Ph.D., Altor’s founder and CEO stated, “This
partnership is a significant strategic collaboration for Altor and
NantKwest. We believe there are significant opportunities to
develop groundbreaking NK cell-based therapies using ALT-803 and
ALT-801 in concert with NantKwest’s proprietary NK
cell therapy and guided by a comprehensive genomic and
proteomic molecular analysis using GPS cancer in the
war against cancer. As Altor’s immunotherapeutic platform can play
a key role in activating NK and T cells, we are enthusiastic to
explore the synergy of this collaboration and rapidly advance
clinical evaluation of these combination therapies in patients with
cancer. Cell-based therapy combinations with Altor’s proprietary
immunotherapeutics are an important component of our corporate
strategy and we are excited to participate in the Cancer Moonshot
2020 program and the QUILT trials.”
Patrick Soon-Shiong, M.D., FRCS (C), FACS, NantKwest’s CEO,
commented, “Cell based therapies and comprehensive genomic,
transcriptomic and proteomic analysis of the tumor tissue
represents the future of precision immuno-oncology and the
opportunity to bring the potential of 21st century medicine to
patients today. As an off-the-shelf therapy, NantKwest’s
proprietary, natural killer cell therapy offers a simple,
easy-to-use therapy that we believe can become the standard of care
for a broad range of cancer types. Recognizing the importance of
omics guided (www.gpscancer.com) combination therapy to further
improve therapeutic effectiveness and patient outcomes, the Cancer
MoonShot 2020 program (www.cancermoonshot2020.org) was launched in
January 2016 to bring together a wide range of novel therapeutic
agents that can be utilized in novel, synergistic combinations.
Altor’s ALT-803 and ALT-801 are two such therapeutic agents that
offer the potential to be used in combination with NantKwest’s
natural killer cell therapies to further improve therapeutic
effectiveness and patient outcomes.”
About Altor BioScience Corporation
Altor is a privately held, clinical-stage biopharmaceutical
company developing novel immunotherapeutics for the treatment of
cancer and infectious diseases. Altor’s engineered cytokine
technology platforms are centered on the immunostimulatory
properties of the cytokines IL-15 and IL-2. These cytokines provide
essential links between the innate and adaptive arms of the immune
system and induce the activation, proliferation, and persistence of
NK and T cells, which are critical in the body’s defense against
cancer and infection.
The lead candidate in Altor’s IL-15 platform is ALT-803, a novel
IL-15 superagonist complex, which possesses improved
pharmacokinetic properties and enhanced anti-tumor activity
compared to IL-15. Preclinical studies have demonstrated that
ALT-803 simultaneously mobilizes both the innate and adaptive arms
of the immune system to elicit rapid, robust, and long-lasting
responses against cancer and virally-infected cells. ALT-803 also
potently activates NK cells and enhances antibody-dependent
cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) of antibodies in various
experimental models. Combination studies of ALT-803 with
antibodies, targeted agents, and vaccines are underway and will
further implement the role of ALT-803 in immunotherapy combinations
for various disease indications. ALT-803 is currently being
evaluated in eight Phase 1/2 clinical trials for patients with
solid or hematological tumors or in HIV infected individuals.
Altor has also developed ALT-801, a fusion protein linking IL-2
to a single-chain T cell receptor domain capable of specifically
recognizing tumor cells that overexpress p53 on their cell surface.
When tested in various tumor models, ALT-801 exhibited
significantly more potent anti-tumor activity and less toxicity
than IL-2, with improved pharmacokinetics and enhanced
immunostimulatory activity. Altor has completed three clinical
trials evaluating ALT-801 for patients with solid tumors, including
a Phase 2 trial in advanced bladder cancer.
Altor is leveraging its extensive network of research and
clinical collaborations, including leading cancer institutes and
universities, toward actively exploring the potential clinical
utilities of ALT-803 and ALT-801 against cancer and infectious
diseases. In various experimental models, ALT-803 and ALT-801
exhibit potent immunostimulatory activity when administered in
combination with other types of therapeutic agents. Altor is
distinctively positioning its immunotherapeutic platform to be
employed as the backbone therapy in next-generation combination
immunotherapy approaches. For more information, please
visit http://www.altorbioscience.com/.
About NantKwest Inc.
NantKwest (Nasdaq:NK) is a pioneering, next generation,
clinical-stage immunotherapy company focused on harnessing the
unique power of our immune system using natural killer (NK) cells
to treat cancer, infectious diseases and inflammatory diseases. NK
cells are the body’s first line of defense due to the innate
ability of NK cells to rapidly identify and destroy cells under
stress, such as cancer or virally-infected cells.
NantKwest’s unique NK cell-based platform, with the capacity to
grow active killer cells as a biological cancer therapy, has been
designed to induce cell death against cancer or infected cells by
three different modes of action: (1) Direct killing using activated
NK cells (aNK) that release toxic granules directly into the cell
through cell to cell contact, (2) Antibody-mediated killing using
haNKs, which are NK cells engineered to incorporate a high affinity
receptor that binds to an administered antibody, enhancing the
cancer cell killing effect of that antibody, and (3) Targeted
activated killing using taNKs, which are NK cells engineered to
incorporate chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) to target
tumor-specific antigens found on the surface of cancer cells.
Our aNK, haNK and taNK platform addresses certain limitations of
T cell therapies including the reduction of risk of serious
"cytokine storms" reported after T cell therapy. As an
“off-the-shelf” therapy, NantKwest's NK cells do not rely on a
patient’s own often compromised immune system. In Phase 1 clinical
trials in patients with late stage cancer, NantKwest's NK cells
have been successfully administered as an outpatient infusion
therapy without any reported severe side effects, even at doses of
10 billion cells.
By leveraging an integrated and extensive genomics and
transcriptomics discovery and development engine, together with a
pipeline of multiple, clinical-stage, immuno-oncology programs that
include a Phase 2 trial for a rare form of melanoma and the planned
initiation of a clinical trial of NK cells targeted to breast
cancer, we believe NantKwest is uniquely positioned to be the
premier immunotherapy company and transform medicine by delivering
living drugs in a bag and bringing novel NK cell-based therapies to
routine clinical care. For more information, please
visit http://www.nantkwest.com.
About Cancer MoonShot 2020
The Cancer MoonShot 2020 program is one of the most
comprehensive cancer collaborative initiative launched to date,
seeking to accelerate the potential of combination immunotherapy as
the next generation standard of care in cancer patients. This
initiative aims to explore a new paradigm in cancer care by
initiating randomized Phase II trials in patients at all stages of
disease in 20 tumor types in 20,000 patients within the next 36
months. These findings will inform Phase III trials and the
aspirational moonshot to develop an effective vaccine-based
immunotherapy to combat cancer by 2020. For more information,
please visit www.cancermoonshot2020.org and follow Cancer
MoonShot 2020 on Twitter.
About GPS Cancer™
GPS Cancer™ is a unique, comprehensive test available through
NantHealth. GPS Cancer integrates whole genome (DNA) sequencing,
whole transcriptome (RNA) sequencing, and quantitative proteomics
through mass spectrometry, providing oncologists with a
comprehensive molecular profile of a patient’s cancer to inform
personalized treatment strategies. GPS Cancer testing is conducted
in CLIA-certified and CAP-accredited laboratories, and is a key
enabler for Cancer MoonShot 2020, the world’s most comprehensive
cancer collaborative initiative seeking to accelerate the potential
of combination immunotherapy as the next generation standard of
care in cancer patients. For more information,
visit www.gpscancer.com
and www.cancermoonshot2020.org.
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NantKwestJen Hodson, 562-397-3639jhodson@nantworks.com
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