Eureka Therapeutics and City of Hope Treat First Patient with GPC3 Targeting ARTEMIS® T Cells (ECT204) for Advanced Liver Cancer

EMERYVILLE, Calif. & LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Eureka Therapeutics Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing novel T cell therapies to treat solid tumors, and City of Hope, one of the largest cancer research and treatment organizations in the United States, today announced that City of Hope treated the first patient with GPC3-positive advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the predominant type of liver cancer, with ECT204, an experimental T cell therapy. This marks the first-in-human use of GPC3 targeting ARTEMIS^® T cells for the treatment of HCC.

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Glypican 3 (GPC3) is a promising target for HCC therapies and is found in more than 70% of HCC cells. The GPC3 protein is also expressed in other solid tumors, including ovarian and lung cancer. During the ARYA-3 investigational study evaluating ECT204, a patient’s T cells are collected, engineered to express Eureka’s proprietary ARTEMIS cell receptors targeting GPC3, and infused back into the patient’s body to target and kill GPC3-expressing cancer cells. In January of this year, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted Orphan Drug Designation (ODD) to ECT204 for the treatment of HCC. Additional information about this Phase I/II study may be found at ClinicalTrials.gov using Identifier NCT: NCT04864054.

“First patient dosing of ECT204 is a significant step forward in our commitment to expand the use of T cell therapy into solid tumors,” said Dr. Cheng Liu, founder and CEO, Eureka Therapeutics. “ARTEMIS T cells have demonstrated superior tumor infiltration and excellent safety profile in preclinical studies. We look forward to further developing it in the clinical setting to fully unlock the potential of T-cell therapy in solid tumors.”

“City of Hope is committed to finding innovative treatments for challenging solid tumors that currently do not have effective medical treatments,” said Daneng Li, M.D., co-director of the Neuroendocrine Tumor Program and principal investigator of the ARYA3 trial at City of Hope. “Targeting GPC3 with T cell immunotherapy would be a promising approach to treating advanced liver cancer.”

Liver cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide, accounting for an estimated 830,000 deaths in 2020. About 41,000 new cases and nearly 31,000 deaths from liver cancer are expected to occur in the U.S. in 2022. According to the American Cancer Society, liver cancer diagnosis has more than tripled since 1980. Patients with advanced HCC have a poor prognosis and limited treatment options.

“Liver cancer patients have very limited treatment options, and more innovative therapies with novel mechanisms of action are desperately needed to bring hope to patients with this challenging diagnosis,” Li said. “I look forward to treating more patients with this experimental therapy and seeing data from the study to understand the potential of ECT204.”

Patients, caregivers and health care professionals interested in Eureka’s clinical trials and technology can find more information by visiting eurekaconnectme.com.

About Eureka Therapeutics

Eureka Therapeutics Inc. is a privately held clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing novel T cell therapies to treat cancers. Its core technology centers around its proprietary ARTEMIS^® cell receptor platform and E-ALPHA^® antibody discovery platform for the discovery and development of potentially safer and more effective T cell therapies for the treatment of solid tumors and hematologic malignancies. The company currently has two clinical programs, ET140203 (ARYA1 and ARYA2) and ECT204 (ARYA3), in Phase I/II U.S. trials in patients with advanced liver cancer.

Eureka Therapeutics Inc. is headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area. For more information on Eureka, please visit www.eurekatherapeutics.com.

About City of Hope

City of Hope’s mission is to deliver the cures of tomorrow to the people who need them today. Founded in 1913, City of Hope has grown into one of the largest cancer research and treatment organizations in the U.S. and one of the leading research centers for diabetes and other life-threatening illnesses. As an independent, National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center, City of Hope brings a uniquely integrated model to patients, spanning cancer care, research and development, academics and training, and innovation initiatives. Research and technology developed at City of Hope has been the basis for numerous breakthrough cancer medicines, as well as human synthetic insulin and monoclonal antibodies. A leader in bone marrow transplantation and immunotherapy, such as CAR T cell therapy, City of Hope’s personalized treatment protocols help advance cancer care throughout the world.

With a goal of expanding access to the latest discoveries and leading-edge care to more patients, families and communities, City of Hope’s growing national system includes its main Los Angeles campus, a network of clinical care locations across Southern California, a new cancer center in Orange County, California, scheduled to open in 2022, and Cancer Treatment Centers of America. City of Hope’s affiliated family of organizations includes Translational Genomics Research Institute and AccessHope^TM. For more information about City of Hope, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram and LinkedIn.

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