GlaxoSmithKline plc and Adaptimmune Therapeutics plc announced that the companies have
expanded the terms of their strategic collaboration agreement to
accelerate Adaptimmune’s lead clinical cancer programme, an affinity
enhanced T-cell immunotherapy targeting NY-ESO-1 toward
pivotal trials in synovial sarcoma.
Adaptimmune and GSK announced a strategic collaboration and licensing
agreement in June 2014 for up to five programmes, including the lead
NY-ESO TCR programme. GSK has an option on the NY-ESO- 1 programme
through clinical proof of concept, and, on exercise, will assume full
responsibility for the programme.
Under the terms of the expanded
agreement, the companies will accelerate the development of
Adaptimmune’s NY-ESO therapy into pivotal studies in synovial sarcoma
and will explore development in myxoid round cell liposarcoma.
Additionally, the companies may initiate up to eight proof-of-principle
studies exploring combinations with other therapies, including
checkpoint inhibitors. According to the expanded development plan, the studies will be
conducted by Adaptimmune with GSK effectively funding the pivotal
studies and sharing the costs of the combination studies via a success
based milestone structure.
Adaptimmune’s affinity enhanced T-cell
candidates are novel cancer immunotherapies that have been engineered to
target and destroy cancer cells by strengthening a patient’s natural
T-cell response. Using its proprietary technology, Adaptimmune has
created a pipeline of affinity enhanced T-cell therapies targeting
certain antigens, including cancer testis antigens such as NY-ESO.
NY-ESO-1 is one of the best-characterized and most immunogenic cancer
testis antigens, and is frequently expressed by tumors of different
origins and in advanced tumors.
