I am very excited to announce the opening of a new Cellular Therapy by Tscan Therapeutics using TCR protocol at the Orlando Health Cancer Institute (OHCI) targeting Melanoma, Head/Neck Cancer, NSCLC, Ovarian, and HPV positive Anal-Cervical SCC. Information for this new open clinical trial was provided from a public source. Please reach out to Karin Donaldson for further information. For patients and families interested in this protocol, it is best to prescreen while you are on your initial therapy with your local medical oncologist. This clinical trial can be completed next line if the current treatment fails to control the tumors and no other FDA approved options are available for the respective tumor type.
A New Direction in TCR-T Cellular Therapy for Solid Tumors
OHCI is pleased to announce the initiation of a clinical trial, an advanced cellular therapy designed to target solid tumors with high precision. This trial comes on the heels of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clearing the Investigational New Drug (IND) application for T-Plex, setting the stage for a novel treatment option for patients with various solid tumors, including Metastatic Melanoma, Head & Neck cancer, NSCLC, HPV+ Anal-Cervical, and Ovarian cancer.
The T-Plex Approach to Personalized Treatment
T-Plex utilizes a patient’s unique tumor profile to create a tailored therapy regimen. By identifying and targeting specific tumor antigens and the patient’s HLA expression patterns, T-Plex is able to provide a personalized mixture of T cell receptor therapies (TCR-Ts). This level of customization represents a step forward in personalized medicine, potentially increasing the effectiveness of treatment for individual patients.
Multiplexed TCR-T Therapy
T-Plex innovative approach harnesses the potential of multiplexed TCR-T therapy, which is designed to potentially and simultaneously target multiple cancer antigens. This methodology aims to mitigate common resistance mechanisms in solid tumors, such as target loss and MHC downregulation. By deploying a combination of TCR-T Cells, T-Plex seeks to provide a comprehensive treatment capable of addressing the complex nature of tumor cells.
Foundation in ImmunoBank
Key to the development of T-Plex is the proprietary ImmunoBank, a collection of TCRs derived from patients who have shown positive responses to immunotherapies. This diverse bank enables us to select highly active and clinically relevant TCRs for use in our TCR-T therapies, supporting the creation of a living treatment that are both personalized and adaptive.
- First, patients with those specific tumor types can be prescreened for their specific HLA subtypes while they are on their current treatment with their local medical oncology team.
- Then, their tumor is interrogated using a recent biopsy or fresh biopsy to see if the tumor expressed tumor specific targets such as HPV-16, MAGE-A1, PRAME. This is just the start, Tscan can amend the protocol to potentially add new targets.
- If patients are eligible, the patient will undergo a procedure called apheresis to collect the patient’s own immune cells which are sent out to Tscan for processing.
- The patient’s immune cells are genetically engineered to express those tumor specific T Cell Receptors (the sniper guns) to recognize those specific targets expressed by the cancer cells (targets).
- The cells are sent back and given to the patient along with additional medicines to prepare the patient’s body for optimal response.
We invite patients, caregivers, and healthcare providers to explore T-Plex as a potential treatment option. This trial marks an important step in our ongoing commitment to develop new and more effective innovative therapies for cancer treatment.
About the author
Dr. Sajeve Thomas is a distinguished medical professional and a compassionate guide in the field of oncology. With over a decade of dedicated experience as a board-certified medical oncologist/internal medicine specialist, Dr. Thomas has become a trusted expert in the treatment of melanoma, sarcoma, and gastrointestinal conditions. Currently practicing at the renowned Orlando Health Cancer Institute, he brings a wealth of expertise to the complex and challenging world of oncology.