The first completed bio-banks will be used to develop more cost-effective, safe and efficacious cancer treatments

Funding provided by European Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation program

TC BioPharm (TCB), a developer of CAR-T immuno-oncology products, including Gamma Delta T (GDT) cell therapies, has announced it has completed formulation of its first allogeneic GDT cell banks. The T cell banks provide TCB with core technology to develop a deep portfolio of next-generation CAR-T products directed against a wide variety of different cancer types, both hematological and solid tumors. The project was supported by funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 (H2020) Research and Innovation program via a €4million grant, the largest such EU award to any UK company for development of a healthcare therapeutic product.

The GDT cell banks are collected and stored from healthy donors, providing a source for TCB to manufacture next-generation ‘off-the-shelf’ GDT cell therapies for future clinical product development. Using allogeneic material from healthy donors offers several advantages over conventional autologous CAR-T therapies, which use the patient’s own cells to treat their tumor, as TCB’s proprietary allogeneic CAR-T cells are not prone to ‘on-target, off-tumor’ toxicities. Additionally, a larger population of cancer patients can be treated with a single reproducible product, ‘campaign-manufactured’ in bulk to keep costs lower, consequently increasing accessibility and reducing financial burden for healthcare systems.

Benefitting from H2020 support, TCB is rapidly progressing its clinical evaluation of allogeneic therapies. Having recently demonstrated safety and efficacy of large-dose autologous gamma-delta T cells in cancer patients, TCB is commencing treatment of cancer patients with an allogeneic variant. By building on its exclusive CAR-T platform, the company also plans to treat leukemia patients with an allogeneic CD19-directed GDT CAR-T product.

Angela Scott, Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer, TCB, said: “I am delighted we have completed manufacture of our first allogeneic cell banks. By combining allogeneic GDT therapy with our unique CAR-T platform it will allow us to develop the next generation of safe, cost-effective immunotherapy for cancer, improving patient outcomes and quality of life.”

Dr Michael Leek, Co-Founder and Chief Executive, TCB, commented: “Availability of clinical-grade allogeneic GDT cell banks is an important commercial milestone for TCB. This allows us to transition our therapeutic approach from expensive and complex personalized therapy using patient’s own cells, to a more cost-effective ‘pharmaceuticalized’ approach.”

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation program.