Apceth agrees immunotherapy research partnership

German biopharma company apceth has announced a partnership with the Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC), University of Cologne, to combine technologies and expertise, on the development of immunotherapies for solid tumors and haematological malignancies.

The collaboration is based on combinations of Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T cells, developed at the laboratory of Prof Hinrich Abken against multiple tumor-associated antigens, and apceth-developed engineered mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). Prof Abken, head of Tumor Genetics at the CMMC, said: “Combining apceth’s gmMSCs with CAR T-cells we developed in Cologne during the last decade may open new paths for the treatment of solid cancer. Tumors have evolved multiple strategies to resist an immune attack; we are aiming at focussing the power of the immune system towards the tumor lesion in a specific way while minimizing systemic side effects.”

apceth is developing autologous (patient-derived) and allogeneic (off-the-shelf) engineered MSCs that migrate to tumors and sites of injury or inflammation, based on their natural homing capabilities, where they express therapeutic transgenes. CART cells are based on T-cells taken from patients and engineered to target and destroy tumor cells that express specific markers. The specificity is dictated by the CARs they express, which also enable them to become activated. The activation, however, is not usually optimal, due to the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment.