Achilles Therapeutics Presents Data at the 2021 European Society for Gene and Cell Therapy (ESGCT) Congress Demonstrating its Proprietary Manufacturing Process Can Generate Potent, Personalized Anti-Cancer Cell Therapy Candidates in Multiple Solid Tumor Ty
22 October 2021 - 10:30PM
Achilles Therapeutics plc (NASDAQ: ACHL), a clinical-stage
biopharmaceutical company developing precision T cell therapies to
treat solid tumors, today delivered an oral presentation (OR54) at
the 2021 European Society for Gene and Cell Therapy (ESGCT)
Congress. In the presentation entitled ‘Multicentre, prospective
research protocol for development of a clonal neoantigen-reactive T
cell (cNeT) therapy pipeline across multiple tumour types,’ Dr.
Michael Grant, Associate Medical Director at Achilles, reviewed
initial data from the Company’s Material Acquisition Platform
(MAP) showing that Achilles’ proprietary VELOS™ manufacturing
process is able to extract tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) and
generate potent clonal neoantigen-reactive T cells (cNeT) across a
range of solid tumor types. cNeT target clonal neoantigens,
which are unique proteins expressed on every cancer cell within a
patient but not on healthy tissue.
MAP is a unique prospective study that
facilitates the procurement of patient material across a range of
solid tumor types, enabling a comprehensive evaluation of
indications prior to clinical development. MAP was developed to
enable the detailed genomic and cellular characterization of
different cancer tissue types and assess the ability to produce
significant doses of potent cNeT. The study is currently collecting
patient material at eight sites in the United Kingdom, European
Union, and United States from patients with a range of cancers
including lung, melanoma, head and neck, renal, bladder and
breast cancer.
“This important research shows that our
bioinformatics and manufacturing processes together produce fit,
potent and neoantigen-specific cells and supports the potential use
of our cNeT in a broad range of solid tumor indications beyond our
current clinical trials in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and
metastatic melanoma, and into indications including head and neck
cancer,” said Dr Sergio Quezada, Chief Scientific Officer
of Achilles. “MAP showcases the analytical strength
of the Achilles platform, delivers vital translational science
insights, and highlights our organizational and supply chain
expertise. It has been extremely successful in accumulating a
broad set of tumor-related material and continues to expand into
new countries and indications.”
Data presented show that the VELOS manufacturing
process delivers higher neoantigen-specificity and potency, in both
CD4+ and CD8+ T cell activity, relative to traditionally
manufactured TIL products from the same tumor source material.
These enhancements can be seen in specificity and potency assays in
which IFN-γ and TNF-α cytokine secretion and production of
inflammatory cytokines is triggered in response to clonal
neoantigen presentation. Additionally, analysis of CD4+ and CD8+
cells in cNeT products shows favorable cell phenotypes consistent
with high cell fitness and reduced cell exhaustion. At the time of
submission, 74 patient samples had been processed across five solid
tumor indications. The proprietary PELEUSTM platform identified a
median of 107 clonal neoantigens in NSCLC samples, 156 in melanoma
samples, and 71 in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma samples,
consistent with publicly available data sets, illustrating the
accuracy of the platform. Additional data for renal and bladder
tumor samples were still in process at the time of submission.
The presentation delivered by Dr. Grant is
available in the Events & Presentations section of the Achilles
Therapeutics website.
About Achilles
TherapeuticsAchilles is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical
company developing precision T cell therapies targeting clonal
neoantigens: protein markers unique to the individual that are
expressed on the surface of every cancer cell. The Company has two
ongoing Phase I/IIa trials, the CHIRON trial in patients with
unresectable locally advanced and metastatic non-small cell lung
cancer (NSCLC) and the THETIS trial in patients with recurrent or
metastatic melanoma. Achilles uses DNA sequencing data from each
patient, together with its proprietary PELEUS™ bioinformatics
platform, to identify clonal neoantigens specific to that patient,
and then develop precision T cell-based product candidates
specifically targeting those clonal neoantigens.
Forward-Looking StatementsThis
press release contains express or implied forward-looking
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assumptions and on information currently available to our
management. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in
these forward-looking statements are reasonable, these statements
relate to future events or our future operational or financial
performance, and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and
other factors that may cause our actual results, performance or
achievements to be materially different from any future results,
performance or achievements expressed or implied by these
forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements in this
press release represent our views as of the date of this press
release. We anticipate that subsequent events and developments will
cause our views to change. However, while we may elect to update
these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, we
have no current intention of doing so except to the extent required
by applicable law. You should therefore not rely on these
forward-looking statements as representing our views as of any date
subsequent to the date of this press release.
Further information:
Lee M. Stern – VP, IR & External
Communications+1 (332) 373-2634l.stern@achillestx.com
Consilium Strategic CommunicationsMary-Jane
Elliott, Sukaina Virji, Melissa Gardiner+44 (0) 203 709
5000achillestx@consilium-comms.com
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