CAR-CD19 Therapy

The product, chimeric antigen receptor against CD19 antigen (CAR-CD19), is a combination of a part of immunoglobulin and a part of T-cell receptor. The CAR-CD19 will be incorporated into genetic materials of T lymphocyte by a lentiviral system. The CAR-CD19 will modify functions of genetic modified T lymphocyte to specifically kill CD19-expressing cancer cells; i.e. B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). The CAR-CD19 will be available for a cell therapy company to produce CAR-CD19-modified T lymphocytes. Infusion of CAR-CD19-modified T lymphocytes will increase rate of successful treatment for B-cell ALL including patients who is refractory to chemotherapeutic agents or has relapsed disease.

The CAR-CD19 is comprised of an antigen detection part from an immunoglobulin and a signal transduction domain from T-cell receptor. Those two main parts are linked by a hinge and a co-stimulatory molecule. The CAR-CD19 will be transduced into activated T lymphocytes by a lentiviral system. Our CAR-CD19-modified T lymphocytes have been evaluated their specific killing functions over CD19-expressing leukemic cells in vitro and in a patient with refractory B-cell ALL with promising results. Our CAR-CD19 uses a novel hinge part reported no specific binding with Fc receptors of reticuloendothelial system which will have longer half-life in human body.

The CAR-CD19 will modify T lymphocyte to specifically kill CD19-expressing leukemic cells.  The CAR-CD19 T cell will enhance the successful treatment rate of B-cell ALL especially relapse/refractory diseases. So, the product will be a novel treatment for hematologists or pediatric hematologists who are seeking the minimal invasive treatment for patients with relapse/refractory B-cell ALL.

The customer will have an opportunity to use this novel chimeric antigen receptor molecule to modified T lymphocytes in a GMP-compliant facility. The product will be a new way for the treatment of relapsed/refractory B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia which is the most common cancer in children and adults.