Novel T cell therapies against lymphocytic leukaemia

Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) is the most common type of leukaemia globally and can rarely be cured. Despite recent advances, the efficacy of promising autologous T cell-based therapies, such as CAR-T technology and bi-/tri-specific antibodies, has been disappointing. This stems from a T cell dysfunction in this disease setting: altered T cell skewing, impaired metabolic plasticity, and disrupted T-cell functioning.

Prof. Arnon Kater's group studies alternative activation pathways to overcome T cell dysfunction and stimulate an immune response.

CATCH will explore the technical and commercial feasibility of alternative T-cell activation, through CAR-T and tri-specific antibody technologies.

To reach proof-of-concept stage, in this project we will:

1) Validate the efficacy of two applications (CAR-T, tri-specific antibody) by achieving T-cell activation and killing target cells in in-vitro CLL samples and live specimens.

2) Perform a thorough IP landscape analysis, establish Freedom-to-Operate, and define an IP strategy.

3) Engage with key stakeholders to gather feedback and advise from key perspectives (patient, clinical, industry), conduct market research to discover potential customers/industrial partners, analyse competitors and identify a feasible roadmap to commercialisation.

4) Formulate a detailed business case to guide the commercialisation of CATCH.