Study of investigational personalized T-cell therapy IMA101 expanded to explore combination with anti-PDL1 antibody
Houston, Texas and Tuebingen, Germany – 26 February 2019 – Immatics today announced a collaboration with Roche to evaluate the safety and efficacy of IMA101, Immatics’ investigational autologous cell therapy, in combination with atezolizumab (TECENTRIQ®), in patients with solid cancers.
IMA101 is a personalized, multi-targeted investigational immunotherapy for the treatment of multiple advanced / metastatic solid tumors. IMA101 is based on Immatics’ ACTolog® approach, which follows the principle of expanding target-specific endogenous T-cells, a technique pioneered by Cassian Yee, M.D., Professor of Melanoma Medical Oncology at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.
The combination trial will evaluate potential synergistic effects generated by using the investigational immunotherapies together, as atezolizumab may enhance IMA101’s ability to kill cancer cells by blocking inhibitory immune checkpoints.
The combination clinical trial, which is expected to begin later this year under an amendment to the ACTolog® IMA101-101 study protocol (Clinicaltrials.gov: NCT02876510), will be conducted at MD Anderson, led by Apostolia Tsimberidou, M.D., Ph.D., Professor of Department of Investigational Cancer Therapeutics at MD Anderson.
Stephen Eck, M.D., Ph.D., Chief Medical Officer (CMO) at Immatics US, Inc., said: “Our innovative ACTolog® process allows us to utilize a patient’s own T-cells to generate a targeted approach for treating solid tumors with increased safety and efficacy potential. We are extremely pleased that, in collaboration with our long-term partner, we are now combining this promising personalized cell therapy with atezolizumab.”
Notes To Editors
About ACTolog® T-cell therapy
The ACTolog® IMA101 phase 1 clinical trial is led by Prof. Apostolia Tsimberidou, Professor at the Department of Investigational Cancer Therapeutics at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and co-funded by the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT). The ACTolog® concept is based on the principle of endogenous T-cell therapy pioneered by Professor Cassian Yee, M.D. Unlike tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes, ACTolog® T-cell products are generated from peripheral blood cells with defined target selectivity. Utilizing its proprietary antigen discovery platform XPRESIDENT®, Immatics has created a warehouse of eight cancer targets. From this warehouse, the most suitable targets for each patient’s tumor are identified by analyzing the tumor biomarkers. Up to four personalized T-cell products are then activated and manufactured for each patient by isolation and enrichment of the patient’s endogenous T cells in vitro. Billions of such activated and specific T cells are then re-infused into the cancer patient to attack the tumor. The ACTolog® T-cell products are manufactured at The Evelyn H. Griffin Stem Cell Therapeutics Research Laboratory in collaboration with The University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston (UTHealth).
About Immatics
Immatics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company active in the discovery and development of T-cell redirecting immunotherapies for the treatment of cancer. The Company’s transformative product candidates are ‒ best in class ‒ Adoptive Cell Therapies and Bispecific TCR molecules. These products are directed against tumor targets that have been identified and validated by Immatics’ proprietary and world-leading XPRESIDENT® technology. XPRESIDENT® is the most sensitive, unbiased and high-throughput technology capable of identifying targets in virtually any type of cancer and any HLA type. Together with Immatics’ powerful TCR discovery technology XCEPTOR®, these two platforms allow a full range of cancer therapies to be developed.
Immatics’ pipeline includes T-cell therapy programs based on the proprietary ACTolog®, ACTengine® and ACTallo® approaches, which are developed in collaboration through Immatics US with University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and co-funded by the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT), and several bispecific TCR and antibody molecules.
Operating from Tuebingen, Munich and Houston, the Company has recognized that novel, better and safer targets are the key to developing future cancer immunotherapies and it is Immatics’ mission to deliver the power of T cells to cancer patients.
For regular updates about Immatics, visit www.immatics.com, or connect with us via Twitter @immatics and LinkedIn.
ACTolog®, ACTengine®, ACTallo® and XPRESIDENT® are registered trademarks of Immatics Biotechnologies GmbH.
TECENTRIQ® (atezolizumab) is a registered trademark of Genentech, a member of the Roche Group.
Issued for and on behalf of Immatics by Instinctif Partners.
For more information please contact:
Immatics
Dr. Nikola Wiegeler
T: +49 7071 5397 110
E: media@immatics.com
Instinctif Partners
Sue Charles / Genevieve Wilson
T: +44 20 7457 2020
E: Immatics@instinctif.com
