1 August 2022 - - The first patient has been dosed in a Phase 1 clinical trial evaluating CYTO-102, a novel cellular therapy consisting of PD-L1-positive tumor-reactive TRACK-NKTM cells, US-based immuno-oncology company CytoImmune Therapeutics and US-based cancer research and treatment organization City of Hope said.

The trial is assessing CYTO-102 as a monotherapy and in combination with atezolizumab in patients with relapsed/refractory non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

This innovative therapy is generated by genetically modifying NK cells to secrete high levels of soluble IL-15, an immune-signaling molecule crucial for optimal antitumor responses with the patient's own immune system.

The engineered NK cells are primed with cytokines IL-12 and IL-18 along with other signals during manufacturing to induce PD-L1 expression.

The PD-L1-positive TRACK-NKTM cells are naturally directed to the tumor microenvironment where they are designed to kill the cancer cells as well as to coordinate the adaptive or T cell response by the patient's own immune system.

The Phase 1, dose escalation clinical trial will evaluate the safety and tolerability, as well as key biologic endpoints of CYTO-102, including NK cell persistence and trafficking, tumor microenvironment changes and endogenous T and NK cell recruitment by CYTO-102, as both a monotherapy and in combination with atezolizumab, a PD-L1 inhibitor.

The trial will enroll approximately 21 patients with relapsed or difficult-to-treat NSCLC. Details regarding the study can be found here.

CytoImmune Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of novel cancer immunotherapy products designed to utilize the power of the engineered effector cells to activate the patient's immune system to effectively eliminate cancer cells.

The company is advancing a differentiated pipeline of off-the-shelf tumor-reactive NK cell therapies in non-small cell lung cancer and other solid tumors, as well as acute myeloid leukemia and multiple myeloma, using proprietary, robust and well characterized NK cell expansion and engineering technologies that are designed to provide effector cell therapy with broad immune stimulation, to enable effective tumor killing in both solid tumors and hematologic malignancies.

City of Hope's mission is to deliver the cures of tomorrow to the people who need them TODAY.

Founded in 1913, city of Hope has grown into one of the largest cancer research and treatment organizations in the US and one of the leading research centers for diabetes and other life-threatening illnesses.

As an independent, National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center, city of Hope brings a uniquely integrated model to patients, spanning cancer care, research and development, academics and training, and innovation initiatives.