NEW YORK – GC Cell and Checkpoint Therapeutics on Monday said they have inked a deal to study the immune checkpoint inhibitor cosibelimab plus the autologous cell therapy Immuncell-LC as a potential synergistic cancer treatment.
If the combination shows promise in preclinical in vitro studies, the firms plan to move it into in vivo studies and human trials. The partners expect the preclinical collaboration to lead to a commercial licensing or joint-development deal in the future.
The companies are betting that by combining cosibelimab with Immuncell-LC, the anti-PD-L1 treatment's antibody-dependent cellular toxicity and the cell therapy's cytokine-induced killing (CIK) T-cell response will work together to effectively target and eliminate cancer cells.
Waltham, Massachusetts-based Checkpoint Therapeutics is also developing its immune checkpoint inhibitor for treating locally advanced and metastatic cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma. The firm has an application pending with the US Food and Drug Administration seeking approval in this setting.
Yongin, South Korea-based GC Cell is already marketing Immuncell-LC in Korea as a treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma. The cell therapy involves harvesting CIK cells from patients, incubating them with interleukin 2 and an anti-CD3 antibody, then reinfusing them into patients.