Contract development and manufacturing organisation ViroCell Biologics has partnered AvenCell Therapeutics for expediting the development of new allogeneic chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T therapies to treat blood cancers.
The company also announced the delivery of a new retroviral vector to AvenCell Therapeutics.
The initial vector will be utilised to produce AVC-203, an experimental cluster of differentiation 19 and 20 (CD19/CD20) dual-targeted cell therapy for B-cell malignancies and autoimmune diseases.
AvenCell's AVC-203 represents its second investigational treatment using allogeneic engineering techniques to create an off-the-shelf product to prevent both graft-versus-host disease and rejection by the patient's T cells and natural killer (NK) cells.
The therapy enables immediate treatment and broader patient access, as well as cutting costs.
The addition of AvenCell’s RevCAR receptor into AVC-203 further enhances its targeting beyond CD19 and CD20.
ViroCell CEO John Hadden II stated: “I am proud of Team ViroCell’s accomplishments in the successful end-to-end delivery of this retroviral vector and accelerating a novel therapy into clinical development in an area of high unmet need.
“We look forward to continuing our work with AvenCell on their exciting platform.”
AvenCell’s collaboration with ViroCell was based on the company’s expertise in producing high-yield vectors quickly.
By incorporating a cell line from AvenCell into good manufacturing practice processes, ViroCell met the challenge of delivering a high-yield vector within the required timeframe.
This achievement demonstrates ViroCell's capability to manage complex production demands in the field of allogeneic CAR T-cell therapies.
A first-in-human Phase I study involving patients with relapsed or refractory B-cell lymphoma is expected to commence using AVC-203 in the second half of 2025.
AvenCell CEO Andrew Schiermeier stated: “We selected ViroCell to support our platform because we knew that they could execute reliably in areas where other CDMOs can’t. The delivery of this retroviral vector for AVC-203 is proof that our trust in ViroCell was well-placed.”
