NEW YORK – Verismo Therapeutics on Wednesday said it has treated the first solid tumor patient in a Phase I clinical trial of the autologous cell therapy SynKIR-110.
SynKIR-110 comprises a modified NK-like receptor designed to improve persistence, which has historically been a limitation for autologous CAR T-cell therapy in the solid tumor space. In the STAR-101 trial, University of Pennsylvania spinout Verismo is studying the safety, feasibility, and activity of the cell therapy in 42 patients with advanced ovarian cancer, mesothelioma, and cholangiocarcinoma, three types of cancers known to express mesothelin.
Patients enrolled in the trial will have their cells harvested and engineered to express a mesothelin-targeting receptor tied to an NK cell membrane anchor. Then, after receiving lymphodepleting chemotherapy, patients will receive a one-time infusion of SynKIR-110.
"By leveraging the power of autologous T cells transduced with mesothelin KIR-CAR, we hope to enhance treatment options and ultimately improve outcomes for patients facing these challenging malignancies," Janos Tanyi, the trial's principal investigator and a UPenn professor, said in a statement.
Verismo in July said it raised $17 million in a second pre-Series A financing round, bringing the total amount raised since its launch in 2020 to $50 million. The firm plans to use the funds to develop SynKIR-110 in solid tumors and the preclinical candidate SynKIR-310 in blood cancers.