SEATTLE - Sept. 7, 2016 -- In a paper published today in Science Translational Medicine, researchers from Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center shared data from an early-phase study of patients with advanced non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) who received JCAR014, a Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T cell treatment, and chemotherapy. CAR T cells are made from a patient's own immune cells that are then genetically engineered to better identify and kill cancer cells.
The paper reported the results of the first 32 patients in a dose-finding trial of JCAR014 following a round of chemotherapy, called lymphodepletion, designed to create a more favorable environment for the CAR T cells to grow in the patient's body. Key findings of the study demonstrated the importance of the choice of lymphodepletion regimen and the effects of different doses of CAR T cells. 50 percent of the 18 patients who were evaluable for efficacy after receiving CAR T cells and chemotherapy agents fludarabine and cyclophosphamide (Cy/Flu) had a complete response, which compares favorably to the 8 percent complete response rate in patients who received JCAR014 plus cyclophosphamide-based chemotherapy without fludarabine. As previously reported, dose-limiting toxicities were observed in some patients in this dose-finding study who received the highest CAR T-cell dose. The study continues with the intermediate CAR T-cell dose.
In patients that received Cy/Flu lymphodepletion and the intermediate dose of JCAR014, the data showed a promising early efficacy and side effect profile. Specifically:
- Overall Response rate: 82 percent (9/11)
- Complete Response rate: 64 percent (7/11)
- Severe Cytokine Release Syndrome: 9 percent (1/11)
- Severe neurotoxicity: 18 percent (2/11)
JCAR014's hallmark is its use of a one-to-one ratio of helper (CD4+) and killer (CD8+) CAR T cells, which join forces to kill tumor cells that produce CD19, a molecule found on the surface of many blood cancer cells, including lymphoma and leukemia. By controlling the mixture of T cells that patients receive, the researchers can see relationships between cell doses and patient outcomes that were previously elusive. The data also suggest that with a defined one-to-one composition of cells, efficacy of treatment is increased, while toxic side effects are minimized.
"With the defined composition treatment, we are able to get more reproducible data about the effects of the cells - both the beneficial impact against the cancer and any side effects to the patient," said Fred Hutch clinical researcher Dr. Stan Riddell, one of the senior authors of the paper, along with Dr. David Maloney. "We are then able to adjust the dose to improve what we call the therapeutic index - impact against the tumor, with lower toxicity to the patient."
"This study shows that at the right dose of CAR T cells and lymphodepletion, we can achieve very good response rates for NHL patients who have no other treatment options," said Dr. Cameron Turtle, an immunotherapy researcher at Fred Hutch and one of the study leaders.
For Juno Therapeutics (NASDAQ: JUNO), these insights from the JCAR014 study are key to its development of JCAR017, a similar product candidate for the treatment of CD19 positive blood cancers. Like JCAR014, JCAR017 uses a one-to-one ratio of helper and killer CAR T cells, and the company believes it has the potential to be a "best-in-class" treatment for non-Hodgkin lymphoma, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, and adult and pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia. JCAR017 is currently in a phase I, multi-center study.
"We are encouraged by the efficacy and duration of response that we are seeing with defined composition CAR T treatment in patients with lymphoma and other B-cell malignancies," said Mark J. Gilbert, Juno's Chief Medical Officer. "We hope that the insights from JCAR014 will make it possible to bring more life-saving treatments to more patients with blood cancers."
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In addition to Fred Hutch researchers, the study team also included scientists from Juno and the University of Washington. Juno provided one of the trial's sources of funding, along with the National Institutes of Health, Washington state's Life Science Discovery Fund and the Bezos Family Foundation.
ABOUT FRED HUTCH
At Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, home to three Nobel laureates, interdisciplinary teams of world-renowned scientists seek new and innovative ways to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer, HIV/AIDS and other life-threatening diseases. Fred Hutch's pioneering work in bone marrow transplantation led to the development of immunotherapy, which harnesses the power of the immune system to treat cancer with minimal side effects. An independent, nonprofit research institute based in Seattle, Fred Hutch houses the nation's first and largest cancer prevention research program, as well as the clinical coordinating center of the Women's Health Initiative and the international headquarters of the HIV Vaccine Trials Network. Private contributions are essential for enabling Fred Hutch scientists to explore novel research opportunities that lead to important medical breakthroughs. For more information visit fredhutch.org or follow Fred Hutch on Facebook, Twitter or YouTube.
ABOUT JUNO
Juno Therapeutics is building a fully integrated biopharmaceutical company focused on re-engaging the body's immune system to revolutionize the treatment of cancer. Founded on the vision that the use of human cells as therapeutic entities will drive one of the next important phases in medicine, Juno is developing cell-based cancer immunotherapies based on chimeric antigen receptor and high-affinity T cell receptor technologies to genetically engineer T cells to recognize and kill cancer. Juno is developing multiple cell-based product candidates to treat a variety of B-cell malignancies as well as solid tumors. Several product candidates have shown compelling clinical responses in clinical trials in refractory leukemia and lymphoma conducted to date. Juno's long-term aim is to leverage its cell-based platform to develop new product candidates that address a broader range of cancers and human diseases. Juno brings together innovative technologies from some of the world's leading research institutions, including the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Seattle Children's Research Institute, the University of California, San Francisco, and The National Cancer Institute. Juno Therapeutics has an exclusive license to the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital patented technology for CD19-directed product candidates that use 4-1BB, which was developed by Dario Campana, Chihaya Imai, and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, including statements regarding Juno's mission, progress, and business plans, clinical trial results and the implications thereof, and the potential of defined cell composition CAR T cell therapies, including JCAR014 and JCAR017, to treat lymphoma and other B cell malignancies. Forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from such forward-looking statements, and reported results should not be considered as an indication of future performance. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, risks associated with: the success, cost, and timing of Juno's product development activities and clinical trials; Juno's ability to obtain regulatory approval for and to commercialize its product candidates; Juno's ability to establish a commercially-viable manufacturing process and manufacturing infrastructure; regulatory requirements and regulatory developments; success of Juno's competitors with respect to competing treatments and technologies; Juno's dependence on third-party collaborators and other contractors in Juno's research and development activities, including for the conduct of clinical trials and the manufacture of Juno's product candidates; Juno's dependence on Celgene for the development and commercialization outside of North America and China of Juno's CD19 product candidates and any other product candidates for which Celgene exercises an option; Juno's dependence on JW Therapeutics (Shanghai) Co., Ltd, over which Juno does not exercise complete control, for the development and commercialization of product candidates in China; Juno's ability to obtain, maintain, or protect intellectual property rights related to its product candidates; amongst others. For a further description of the risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ from those expressed in these forward-looking statements, as well as risks relating to Juno's business in general, see Juno's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on August 5, 2016 and Juno's other periodic reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date hereof. Juno disclaims any obligation to update these forward-looking statements.
Contacts
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
Claire Hudson
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media@fredhutch.org
crhudson@fredhutch.org
Juno Therapeutics, Inc.
Investor Relations:
Nicole Keith
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nikki.keith@junotherapeutics.com
Media:
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chris.williams@junotherapeutics.com
Journal
Science Translational Medicine