UK CAR-T firm Autolus provides update at ASH conference
Autolus, which is a closely-watched chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy firm backed by three of the UK’s most prominent biotech investors, obtained an important validation of its technology recently with the publication of data on its dual targeting technology at the American Society of Hematology (ASH) conference over the weekend of 16/17 December 2017. See https://twitter.com/search?q=Autolus&src=typd for more detail.
Oxford-based Autolus, which is developing a second-generation dual-targeted CAR-T therapy, is supported by UK listed Arix Biosciences (13.5% of Arix’s NAV), Syncona, which is busy transforming itself into a biotech fund from a flexible investment fund, SYNC (8.6% of NAV) and the, Neil Woodford managed, Woodford Patient Capital Trust WPCT (5.5% of NAV).
Autolus presented data on its CAR T-cells that have been engineered to express an adapter protein designed to block the PD1/PL-L1 pathway, which can render CAR T-cells resistant to this cancer defence mechanism. Autolus is currently running three early stage Phase I/II studies:
- Auto2 in relapsed/refractory melanoma,
- Auto3 or Amelia in paediatric acute lymphocytic leukaemia and
- Auto4 or Alexander in adult diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.
SYNC / WPCT / ARIX : UK CAR-T firm Autolus provides update at ASH conference