Ziopharm Oncology Presents Data on Very Rapid Production of CAR T Cells at Keystone Symposia Emerging Cellular Therapies: T C...
February 12 2018 - 6:00AM
Ziopharm Oncology, Inc. (Nasdaq:ZIOP), a biotechnology company
focused on development of next generation immunotherapies utilizing
gene- and cell-based therapies to treat patients with cancer, today
announced data demonstrating point-of-care (P-O-C) manufacturing of
human T cells expressing chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) that
persist and have an anti-tumor effect in preclinical models were
presented at the Keystone Symposia Emerging Cellular Therapies: T
Cells and Beyond in Keystone, Colorado.
The data presented showed T cells expressing
CD19-specific CAR with membrane-bound IL-15 (mbIL15) were generated
with the non-viral Sleeping Beauty system in less than two days and
did not require ex vivo activation or propagation. T cells designed
to express mbIL15 showed greater persistence and more potent
antitumor activity than comparator T cells without mbIL15 in these
studies.
Lenka V. Hurton, Ph.D., a researcher in the
Division of Pediatrics at the University of Texas MD Anderson
Cancer Center, presented the findings in a talk entitled, “Rapid
production of T cells co-expressing CAR and membrane-bound IL-15
potentiates antitumor activity and promotes in vivo memory.” She
also presented a poster under the same title during the Keystone
Symposia.
Ziopharm is advancing its
non-viral Sleeping Beauty platform towards using its
point-of-care, or P-O-C, technology, a very rapid manufacturing
process of genetically modified CAR+ T cells co-expressing
mbIL15, with the first in-human trial utilizing this approach
expected to commence in 2018. Ziopharm believes that manufacturing
under P-O-C has the potential to reduce the costs associated with
T-cell therapies and the potential to broaden application based on
avoiding the need for centralized manufacturing as is the case when
using a virus to genetically modify T cells.
Dr. Hurton’s poster and presentation slides are
based on research conducted in collaboration with The University of
Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and Precigen Inc., a wholly-owned
subsidiary of Intrexon Corporation (NYSE:XON). The poster is
available in the Presentations and Publications section of the
Company's website, www.ziopharm.com.
About Ziopharm Oncology,
Inc.
Ziopharm Oncology is a Boston-based
biotechnology company focused on development of next-generation
immunotherapies utilizing gene- and cell-based therapies to treat
patients with cancer. In partnership with Precigen Inc., a
wholly-owned subsidiary of Intrexon Corporation (NYSE:XON),
Ziopharm is focused on the development of two platform technologies
designed to deliver safe, effective and scalable cell- and
viral-based therapies for the treatment of multiple cancer types:
Controlled IL-12 and Sleeping Beauty for genetically modifying T
cells. The Company’s lead asset, Ad-RTS-hIL-12 plus veledimex, has
demonstrated in clinical trials the potential to control
interleukin-12, leading to an infiltration of T cells that fight
brain cancer. The Company also is advancing therapies using
Sleeping Beauty, a non-viral approach to genetically modify
chimeric antigen receptor (CAR+) and T-cell receptor (TCR+) T
cells, which target specific antigens in blood cancers and
neoantigens solid tumors. Sleeping Beauty is designed using the
Company’s point-of-care technology, a shortened manufacturing
process which potentially can be developed as a decentralized
manufacturing process based in hospitals. These programs are being
advanced in collaboration with Precigen and with MD Anderson Cancer
Center, the National Cancer Institute and Merck KGaA, Darmstadt,
Germany.
Forward-Looking Disclaimer This
press release contains certain forward-looking statements within
the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of
1995, as amended. Forward-looking statements are statements that
are not historical facts, and in some cases can be identified by
terms such as "may," "will," "could," "expects," "plans,"
"anticipates," and "believes." These statements include, but are
not limited to, statements regarding the Company’s business and
strategic plans, the Company’s ability to establish a
commercially-viable manufacturing approach as well as the progress
and timing of the development of the Company's research and
development programs, including its potential initiation of a first
in-human trial using its P-O-C manufacturing process. All of such
statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, many of
which are difficult to predict and generally beyond the control of
the Company, that could cause actual results to differ materially
from those expressed in, or implied by, the forward-looking
statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not
limited to: changes in the Company’s financial condition and cash
needs, funding or other strategic opportunities that become
available to the Company, the Company's ability to finance its
operations and business initiatives and obtain funding for such
activities; whether chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CAR-T)
approaches, Ad-RTS-hIL-12, TCR and NK cell-based therapies, or any
of other product candidates will advance further in the preclinical
research or clinical trial process and whether and when, if at all,
they will receive final approval from the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration or equivalent foreign regulatory agencies and for
which indications; whether chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CAR-T)
approaches, Ad-RTS-hIL-12, TCR and NK cell-based therapies, and the
Company's other therapeutic products it develops will be
successfully marketed if approved; the strength and enforceability
of the Company's intellectual property rights; competition from
other pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies; as well as other
risk factors contained in the Company's periodic and interim
reports filed from time to time with the Securities and Exchange
Commission, including but not limited to, the risks and
uncertainties set forth in the "Risk Factors" section of the
Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended
September 30, 2017 and subsequent reports that the Company may file
with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Readers are cautioned
not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements
that speak only as of the date hereof, and the Company does not
undertake any obligation to revise and disseminate forward-looking
statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date
hereof, or to reflect the occurrence of or non-occurrence of any
events.
Contact:David Connolly, ZIOPHARM
Oncology617-502-1881dconnolly@ziopharm.com
Intrexon (NASDAQ:XON)
Historical Stock Chart
From Apr 2024 to May 2024
Intrexon (NASDAQ:XON)
Historical Stock Chart
From May 2023 to May 2024