Robert Plenge

Since 2015, Dana-Farber researchers have been participating in clinical trials that evaluate the use of bispecific antibodies for patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Three bispecific antibody therapies have been FDA approved with more on the horizon. These are exciting new medicines that rally the immune system in a powerful way to fight blood cancers. But rolling out a new type of medicine is a project of its own. The experts at Dana-Farber who have been treating patients with these new medicines are now working on expanding their use. Philippe Armand, MD, PhD, chief of the Lymphoma Program, and Jennifer Crombie, MD, Reid Merryman, MD, and Christine Ryan, MD, physicians and clinical investigators in the Lymphoma Program, are using what they have learned as clinical investigators to run new trials to determine if these medicines could have benefits earlier in treatment, in combination with other therapies, or in other types of lymphoma. “The hope is that these drugs will help improve outcomes for patients with lymphoma,” says Crombie, who has been the principal investigator of a bispecific antibody trial for the past few years. Monoclonal antibodies treat cancer by binding to markers on cancer cells and rallying the immune system to destroy them. Bispecific antibodies are designed to recognize and bind to more than one cell marker. The bispecific antibodies approved for the treatment of B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma recognize CD20, a marker known to be on B cells, and CD3, a marker known to be on T cells, which are immune cells that can attack cancer cells. By binding to both, the bispecific antibody pulls the T cells closer to the cancerous B cells, increasing the chances that the T cells will recognize and kill the cancer. “Bispecific antibodies can be a powerful immune-based mechanism because of their dual binding properties,” says Crombie. These medicines are currently approved for use alone in patients with follicular lymphoma or diffuse large-cell lymphoma who have received three lines of treatment and need a new therapeutic option. Some patients may choose to try bispecific antibody therapy after CAR T-cell therapy. Others may opt to try bispecific antibodies before trying, or in lieu of, CAR T-cell therapy. Recommendations will vary depending on the type of lymphoma and other individual factors. These new therapies are administered via infusion or an injection under the skin. However, these immunotherapies can cause side effects that many centers are learning how best to manage. In clinical trials of bispecific antibodies, investigators noted side effects that are like those experienced by patients receiving CAR T-cell therapy. The reactions, however, are often less frequent and less severe. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/e4D8T2GG

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📣 New paper out! "Predicting Survival in Patients with Advanced NSCLC Treated with Atezolizumab Using Pre- and on-Treatment Prognostic Biomarkers" in American Society for Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics' journal Clin Pharm Ther. Using large clinical trial datasets (three phase 2 as train set, N = 533, one phase 3 as test set, N = 354), we developed kML (kinetics - Machine Learning). The main novelty was to model on-treatment longitudinal data of routine circulating biomarkers using #NLME and combine with #ML. Two important applications: 👩‍🔬 Prediction of individual survival, valuable to clinical oncologists for #personalized #healthcare 💊 Prediction of phase 3 trial success, valuable to #drug #development Thanks to coauthors including Mélanie Karlsen, Abdessamad EL KAOUTARI, Célestin BIGARRÉ, Rene Bruno, Francois Mercier, Candice Jamois https://lnkd.in/eEvqb_jP https://lnkd.in/deACYumW

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Day 3 of Team Interius making us proud at American Society of Gene & Cell Therapy in Baltimore! Stop by & see some of our poster presentations in person, or view them online: https://lnkd.in/eKiSKA4 Abstract Number 2. In Vivo Generation of Both CAR T Cells and CAR NK Cells Using a CD7 Abstract Number 201. Rational Design of a Detargeted Vesiculovirus Fusogen to Enable Targeted In Vivo Gene Delivery Abstract Number 235. Pharmacokinetics and Vector Shedding in NHPs Following a Single Intravenous Infusion of a CD20-Targeted Engineered Lentiviral Vector Abstract Number 1360. Automating a Lentivirus Infectious Titer Assay (ITA) Abstract Number1361. Evaluation of Residual Host Cell DNA Clearance and Sizing During Production of a Lentiviral Vector Abstract Number 1839. In Vivo Delivery of an Engineered Lentiviral CAR19 Vector for the Treatment of Autoimmune Diseases #asgct #asgct2024 #phillybio

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Intellia data spark debate about CRISPR drug’s potential Intellia Therapeutics released detailed Phase 2 results from a study of a gene-editing therapy for hereditary angioedema, drawing mixed reactions from investors and experts. The therapy, dubbed NTLA-2002, is based on the CRISPR gene editing technology that won a Nobel Prize in 2020. The treatment is designed to inactivate a gene involved in potentially life-threatening inflammatory attacks that plague patients with the disease. In the ongoing study of 27 patients, researchers found either a 75% or 77% reduction in attacks in the 16-week period after receiving therapy, depending on the dose received, Intellia said. And eight of the 11 patients in the higher dose arm were completely free of attacks after a one-time infusion. All of those patients continued to be attack-free with months of followup. https://lnkd.in/eAS3DbzA

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While #ASCO24 is at an end, it was great following all of it on social media. If you were at ASCO and interested in potential collaborations with the journal Technology in Cancer Research & Treatment, please feel free to reach out. Thanks for sharing OncoDaily! #cancer #oncology #cancerresearch #oncodaily

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#AvalereExpert Mark Gooding moderated a panel at #BIO2024 on access and affordability considerations for patients and manufacturers in a post-#IRA world. Read highlights from his conversation with Anna Hyde, Valerie Reynolds, and Eric Gascho: https://lnkd.in/e_F3NZqM #patients #patientsupport #healthpolicy #healthcare #InflationReductionAct

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