LLS TAP is a mission-driven venture philanthropy initiative investing in innovative blood cancer therapies poised to change the standard of care
RYE BROOK, N.Y., May 30, 2024 – Four companies supported by The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Therapy Acceleration Program (LLS TAP) are presenting new data from clinical studies across four different types of blood cancers at the 2024 annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO). In addition, each company is studying a unique approach to blood cancer treatment. This exemplifies LLS’s commitment to explore every avenue of scientific discovery for the benefit of patients with all types of blood cancer.
LLS TAP is a strategic venture philanthropy initiative that seeks to accelerate the development of innovative blood cancer therapeutics and change the standard of care. The program invests and partners with biotech companies to support development of novel platforms and first-in-class clinical-stage therapies addressing unmet medical needs, emerging patient populations and even rare blood cancers.
Below is a summary of the data that will be presented by the LLS TAP partners at the ASCO meeting in Chicago:
Caribou Biosciences will present safety and efficacy data about its next-generation CAR T-cell immunotherapy for patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Nine of 10 patients (90%) with large B-cell lymphoma responded to the treatment, with seven having a complete response, meaning no cancer could be detected. The cancer remains undetectable in two of the patients after two years. Caribou is expected to present additional data at the meeting.
The strong efficacy results coupled with a manageable safety profile strongly supports moving the treatment into a large clinical trial expected to start later this year. This registration-directed trial is likely to be the final clinical trial before the treatment is submitted to the FDA for approval.
CB-010 is different than the six CAR T-cell therapies already available in the United States. It uses donor cells instead of a patient’s own T-cells, which significantly reduces the wait time for treatment from a month or more to being readily available for patients (so called off-the-shelf). It also uses breakthrough CRISPR technology to make important edits to the T-cell’s genome to improve antitumor activity.
MorphoSys will present updated data from its phase 3 trial of pelabresib, which works by inhibiting proteins that play a role in the development and progression of myelofibrosis. While myelofibrosis is a rare form of blood cancer that usually progresses slowly over many years, in some patients it can progress more quickly requiring aggressive treatment.
In most cases, the goal of myelofibrosis treatment is to relieve disease symptoms and reduce the size of the spleen—a hallmark of disease progression. Pelabresib in combination with standard-of-care treatment, ruxolitinib, has shown promising results addressing all the hallmarks of myelofibrosis along with an acceptable safety profile in its clinical trials to date.
The company expects to submit pelabresib in combination with ruxolitinib in myelofibrosis to the FDA for review before the end of 2024 for a possible approval in 2025, making pelabresib potentially the fourth TAP-supported therapy to become FDA approved.
Kymera Therapeutics will report early trial results for its first-in-class investigational drug, KT-253. The trial included patients with both blood and non-blood cancers. While this trial was very small, the promising results showed that the drug was generally well tolerated and showed effectiveness, including partial and complete responses in patients with blood cancer. KT-253 is one of several compounds Kymera is developing that are designed to degrade proteins in the body that promote disease, including blood cancers. This new approach may prove beneficial for a wide variety of diseases.
Enterome will report data from a clinical trial showing that seven of nine patients (78%) with slow growing non-Hodgkin lymphoma treated with their investigational product EO2463 in combination with standard therapies had a complete response, meaning no cancer could be detected. EO2463 is designed as a therapeutic vaccine to drive anti-tumor activity against B-cell malignancies, including follicular and marginal zone lymphomas.
To read more about these new data reports, please visit:
About The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society® (LLS) is the global leader in the fight against blood cancer. The LLS mission: Cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease, and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families. LLS funds lifesaving blood cancer research around the world, provides free information and support services, and is the voice for all blood cancer patients seeking access to quality, affordable, coordinated care.
Founded in 1949 and headquartered in Rye Brook, N.Y., LLS has regions throughout the United States and Canada. To learn more, visit www.LLS.org. Patients should contact the Information Resource Center at (800) 955-4572, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. ET.
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About Therapy Acceleration Program® (LLS TAP)
LLS TAP is a strategic venture philanthropy initiative that seeks to accelerate the development of innovative blood cancer therapeutics and change the standard of care. LLS TAP collaborates with biotech companies to support the development of novel platforms, first-in-class assets addressing unmet medical needs, emerging patient populations and even rare blood cancers. LLS TAP accepts funding applications on a rolling basis from companies with innovative science that has a high potential to improve patient lives. To learn more, visit www.lls.org/tap.
LLS Media Contact:
Ryan McDonald
Mediarelations@lls.org