TESSA UNVEILS POSITIVE RESULTS FROM CD30 CAR-T COMBINATION STUDY WITH NIVOLUMAB

KUALA LUMPUR, June 19 (Bernama) -- Tessa Therapeutics Ltd (Tessa), a clinical-stage cell therapy company presented encouraging safety and efficacy data from a combination study of its autologous CD30 CAR-T therapy (TT11) with Bristol Myers Squibb’s nivolumab at the 17th International Conference on Malignant Lymphoma at Lugano, Switzerland recently.

TT11 is an autologous CD30 chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy that harvests the patient’s own T-cells and modifies them to target cancer cells expressing the CD30 protein, a well-validated lymphoma target.

According to Tessa in a statement, TT11 is currently being investigated in combination with Nivolumab in Phase 1B (ACTION) study targeting R/R classical Hodgkin Lymphoma (cHL) patients after frontline therapy failure.

“We are very encouraged by the exciting results demonstrated by the ACTION study. These results offer the potential to re-define Hodgkin lymphoma treatment paradigm, offering a second line treatment alternative free of transplant and high dose chemotherapy to patients who fail frontline therapy.

“The well tolerated safety profile is especially meaningful for older patients with poor tolerability and young adolescents with risk of long-term sequelae from current standard of care,” said Tessa President and Chief Executive Officer, Thomas Willemsen.

ACTION is a single arm multi-centre Phase 1b study in which study protocol involves patients being treated with two cycles of Nivolumab, followed by a single infusion of CD30.CAR-T preceded by lymphodepletion (LD) chemotherapy.

An additional two cycles of Nivolumab are then given, followed by response assessment by PET/CT per Lugano 2014 criteria. Patients without progressive disease may undergo either autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT) or continue Nivolumab up to six additional cycles per physician and patient preference.

A total of 15 patients were enrolled of which 13 were treated with Nivolumab + CD30 CAR-T therapy. 10 patients reached End of Treatment (Post-Nivo Cycle 4) and were evaluable for response.

Of the 10 patients, nine responded to the treatment with complete disappearance of tumour observed by PET/CT in seven patients and partial reduction in tumour size observed in two patients, while one patient had stable disease.

-- BERNAMA