AstraZeneca’s EsoBiotec CAR-T shows promise in multiple myeloma amid trial fatality

Data from a China-based phase 1, single-arm trial evaluating the safety and tolerability of ESO-T01, an in vivo BCMA CAR-T candidate that AstraZeneca acquired from EsoBiotec, was recently published in Nature Medicine.

Per the deal, inked last year, AstraZeneca acquired EsoBiotec for a total of up to $1 billion, picking up the Belgium-based biotech’s in vivo delivery platform.

In the trial, which dosed five adults with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma, preliminary antimyeloma activity was observed. Four of five patients achieved objective responses, including three stringent complete remissions by day 60. However, all patients developed grade 3 or higher adverse events. One patient developed grade 1 immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity and died from extramedullary lesion-related spinal cord compression.

Despite this, investigators said the findings “provide preliminary evidence on the feasibility and safety of in vivo CAR-T generation using an immune-shielded vector.”

EsoBiotec's Engineered NanoBody Lentiviral (ENaBL) platform empowers the immune system to attack cancers and could offer many more patients access to transformative cell therapy treatments delivered in just minutes rather than the current process which takes weeks, according to EsoBiotec. ENaBL uses highly targeted lentiviruses to deliver genetic instructions to specific immune cells, such as T cells, which program them to recognize and destroy tumor cells for cancer treatment or autoreactive cells for potential use in immune-mediated diseases. This approach enables cell therapies to be administered through a simple IV injection and without the need for immune cell depletion.