Moderna and CARsgen partner on CAR-T cell therapy and cancer vaccine combo

CARsgen will test its Claudin18.2 CAR T-cell candidate, dubbed CT041, in combination with Moderna’s investigational mRNA cancer vaccine in a collaboration between the two companies.

As part of the collaboration, the two candidates will be investigated in preclinical and Phase I studies. Moderna’s cancer vaccine is designed around the Claudin18.2 protein.

CARsgen is already investigating CT041 in gastric, pancreatic and other digestive system cancers in several trials in China and North America. According to CARSgen, CT041 is the “most advanced” solid tumor CAR-T in development, as it is in several Phase I and II trials. It was granted an Orphan Drug designation from the FDA in 2020 and Regenerative Medicine Advanced Therapy designation in 2022.

“Attacking tumors with CAR T-cell therapy in combination with a cancer vaccine could potentially provide greater clinical benefit to patients,” Zonghai Li, CARsgen founder, CEO and CSO, said in a statement.

Lin Guey

Moderna’s CSO of external research ventures, Lin Guey, added that the Claudin18.2 protein is a “promising therapeutic target to potentially treat multiple cancer types with high unmet medical need” and that Moderna is “pleased to partner with CARsgen to explore the potential synergy of CAR-T with an investigational mRNA cancer vaccine that encodes for the Claudin18.2 protein.”

Moderna and Merck have already collaborated on an mRNA cancer vaccine that has shown promising results. In June, the companies presented Phase II high-risk skin cancer data that noted a combination of a custom cancer vaccine and Keytruda significantly reduced the risk of developing deadly metastases by 65% compared to patients taking Keytruda alone.

Data released in April showed that the combo reduced the recurrence of high-risk melanoma or death by 44%.

The companies are now planning on a Phase III study in patients with non-small cell lung cancer.

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