Special Report: Australian biotech company Prescient Therapeutics (ASX:PTX) has announced what’s next for its next-generation gene therapy technology for fighting cancer.

Melbourne-based Prescient will focus development of its OmniCAR platform into three programs: the blood cancer acute myeloid leukemia (AML); solid tumours including breast, ovarian and gastric cancers; and glioblastoma multiforme, the aggressive brain cancer.

Prescient’s OmniCAR technology represents a step up from the current chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR T) therapy, a form of immunotherapy that involves modifying a patient’s white blood cells so they recognise and kill cancer cells.

An American woman, Laurie Adami, recently told Stockhead how CAR T therapy saved her life by curing her stage IV follicular non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Prescient says its OmniCAR tech is expected to be safer and more effective than the current generation of CAR T treatments, which are only a few years old.

CAR T cells using  OmniCAR  will be able to target multiple cancer antigens simultaneously, and the platform offers “persistent dosing and tumour microenvironment enhancements to improve efficacy,” Prescient says.

While OmniCAR has a range of applications, the company decided to narrow its focus to the three cancer programs after a strategic review that took into account all the known CAR T programs in development worldwide.

The company said it tried to strike a balance between the probability of technical success and being able to bring to market a differentiated, commercially viable treatment. Prescient didn’t want to risk developing a “me too” CAR T treatment that duplicated an existing therapy.

“Each of the programs represent a tremendous market opportunity,” says Prescient chief executive Steven Yatomi-Clarke.

“Furthermore, Prescient will continue to seek collaboration with external parties on additional opportunities where OmniCAR can create additional next-generation CAR therapies with partners.”

Prescient licensed OmniCAR from the University of Pennsylvania, a leader in CAR T which developed Kymriah, a Novartis therapy approved as a treatment for B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).

Prescient says the vigorous development program will move OmniCAR towards the clinic while demonstrating the unique features of the technology in treating patients – adding tremendous value to the platform.

For more information on PTX, please register here for their webcast on Thursday, 21 January.

This article was developed in collaboration with Prescient Therapeutics, a Stockhead advertiser at the time of publishing.

This article does not constitute financial product advice. You should consider obtaining independent advice before making any financial decisions.

 

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