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Moffitt Cancer Center Starts Trial of Gamma Delta CAR T-Cell Therapy in Advanced Prostate Cancer

NEW YORK – Moffitt Cancer Center on Tuesday said it has treated the first prostate cancer patient in a Phase I trial of its autologous gamma delta CAR T-cell therapy, MSGV1-PSCA-8T28Z.

The investigational cell therapy uses gamma delta T cells engineered to target the prostate stem cell antigen, which is highly expressed in prostate cancers that have metastasized to the bone. In the trial, Moffitt will enroll roughly 30 patients with advanced, previously treated prostate cancer and bone metastases. Patients will have their immune cells harvested, then receive a lymphodepleting course of chemotherapy before their engineered gamma delta T cells are reinfused. According to Moffitt, the manufacturing process takes about two weeks. 

In the trial, patients will receive the bone-strengthening medication zoledronate before their CAR T-cell therapy. Preclinical studies have shown that zoledronate can help activate gamma delta CAR T cells, in turn increasing their ability to recognize and destroy tumors while preserving patients' bone health.

According to Tampa, Florida-based Moffitt, this positive interaction with zoledronate is unique to the gamma delta variety of T cells. Many other CAR T-cell therapies use alpha beta T cells, which are more prolific than gamma delta T cells but aren't as likely to recognize broad ranges of antigens. With gamma delta cells, the CAR T-cell therapy can recognize molecules associated with stressed or infected cells.

Moffitt investigators are assessing the maximum tolerated dose of MSGV1-PSCA-8T28Z as the primary endpoint in this study. Secondarily, they're measuring patients' best prostate-specific antigen response rate, progression-free survival, and circulating tumor cell count.