– Edward P. Evans Foundation Funding Initiative to Support Efforts Toward Clinical Development of Arcellx Candidate Cell Therapy in the Treatment of Myelodysplastic Syndromes –
GAITHERSBURG, Maryland, August 24, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) – Arcellx today announced the award of an EvansMDS Discovery Research Grant to Johns Hopkins University to support the development of an Arcellx ARC-sparX therapy in the treatment of high-risk myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). The collaborative effort, led by Amy E. DeZern, M.D., of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, aims to advance the development of ACLX-002, an immune cell therapy candidate targeting the CD123 therapeutic target. The collaboration includes research to be conducted by Craig Jordan, Ph.D., of the University of Colorado School of Medicine, and materials and expertise to be contributed by Arcellx.
"MDS patients face a poor prognosis despite current treatments," said David Hilbert, Ph.D., president, CEO and founder of Arcellx. “We see huge potential for ARC-sparX therapy for these patients by applying our platform technology, which is designed to allow precise control of engineered T-cell activity. We look forward to supporting this collaboration with the shared goal of advancing ACLX-002 in the clinic as a new approach to the treatment of MDS. ”
ARC-sparX platform technology
The ARC-sparX platform separates tumor recognition and tumor elimination functions from conventional CAR-T cell therapies: (1) proteins sparX (antigen-soluble protein receptor X-linkers) recognize and bind to specific antigens on diseased cells and mark those cells for destruction; and (2) ARC-T cells (T antigen receptor complex) bind to sparX proteins and destroy the flagged cells. Arcellx has developed a collection of sparX proteins that bind to different antigens on the cell surface. Administration of alternative sparX proteins can redirect ARC-T cells to different disease antigens to potentially treat relapsed and refractory disease due to tumor heterogeneity or antigen leakage. In addition, the activity of ARC-T cells can be reduced as necessary by controlling the dose and frequency of sparX administration.
About Arcellx, Inc.
Arcellx is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company that develops new, adaptable and controllable cell therapies for the treatment of patients with cancer and autoimmune diseases. You can find more information at www.arcellx.com .
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