NEW YORK – HaemaLogix and the Peter MacCallum Cancer Center on Tuesday announced that they have partnered on a Phase I CAR T-cell therapy trial involving certain myeloma patients.
In the clinical trial, Sydney-based HaemaLogix and the Melbourne, Australia-based cancer center will evaluate the autologous cell therapy, KMA.CAR-T, as a treatment for myeloma patients whose cancers express the kappa myeloma antigen (KMA) receptor. A little over half of multiple myeloma patients have this kappa-type myeloma, according to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
Preclinical data suggest that KMA.CAR-T can selectively kill KMA-expressing myeloma cells while sparing normal immune cells.
The partners plan to evaluate KMA.CAR-T's safety and efficacy in the Phase I trial. Researchers will initially enroll six patients but could end up enrolling up to a dozen.
HaemaLogix will contribute its cell engineering technology to the study, including methods used to form the KappaMab binding domain. The Peter MacCallum Cancer Center and HaemaLogix will jointly develop the manufacturing method and conduct the clinical trial.