Imugene’s (ASX:IMU) onCARlytics and Artemis® T cells combination shows ‘anti-tumour activity’ - Kalkine Media

Highlights

• Combination of IMU’s onCARlytics and Eureka Therapeutics' ARTEMIS® cell receptor platform shows anti-tumour activity, says the company
• Hepatocellular carcinoma can occur in people affected by chronic liver diseases (cirrhosis due to hepatitis B/ hepatitis C infection)
• Innovative therapeutic solutions against hepatocellular carcinoma are required to improve clinical outcomes

ASX-listed immuno-oncology company Imugene Limited (ASX: IMU) has informed about the enhanced anti-tumour activity against hepatocellular carcinoma (liver cancer) tumours demonstrated by its onCARlytics technology in combination with the ARTEMIS® cell receptor platform of Eureka Therapeutics. The preclinical data on the anti-tumour activity of the combination has been presented at the American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy’s conference.

The data was presented as a poster presentation at the conference held in Los Angeles, US. The announcement by Imugene notes that CAR T cell therapies against hepatocellular carcinoma have only demonstrated nominal efficacy in trials to this day, which is why new therapeutic solutions like the above combination are required to improve clinical outcomes.

Image source: Pixabay.com; Data source: Company update

IMU shares jump

Imugene Limited's ASX shares traded at AU$0.117 (market cap over AU$738 million) at the time of writing on 18 May 2023, up more than 2% from the last close.

More

Enhanced anti-tumour activity has been shown by onCARlytics technology and ARTEMIS® cell receptor platform combination. The preclinical data presented at the ASGCT event -- range of professionals from gene and cell therapy field are participating -- investigates the combination in hepatocellular carcinoma tumours, which is one of the most common primary liver cancers and also the sixth most commonly occurring cancers globally.

Imugene's announcement further notes that there are few systemic therapies against advanced disease. CD19-targeting chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T has shown promising clinical results in blood cancers; however, the cell therapy has faced many challenges in solid-tumour cancers. These challenges include immunosuppressive microenvironment, and antigen heterogeneity.

New therapeutic approaches can overcome these challenges and Imugene asserts that the onCARlytics and ARTEMIS® T cells combination can be the potential solution. ARTEMIS® T cells differentiate from CAR T cells with lesser CRS risks, superior tumour infiltration, and elevated T cell persistence. This, IMU states, makes ARTEMIS® T cells ideal cell therapy candidate in case of solid tumours.

About Imugene

The publicly listed immuno-oncology company is working on innovative immunotherapies that can activate the immune system of cancer patients with the goal of treating and eradicating tumours. IMU's platform technologies utilise the body's immune system to target tumours. These technologies, Imugene states, potentially achieve similar or better outcomes as compared to synthetically manufactured monoclonal antibody and other immunotherapies.

About Eureka

The San Francisco Bay Area-headquartered biotechnology company is developing novel T-cell therapies for treating cancers. The proprietary ARTEMIS® cell receptor platform and E-ALPHA® antibody discovery platform are Eureka's core technology for treatment of solid tumours and hematologic malignancies.