TScan Therapeutics Inc (TCRX)

[FACT-MASTER]

TCRX Nov. 6/23 Press release:

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/tscan-therapeutics-presents-phase-1-120000080.html

(imo, a very logical approach to cancerous treatment - see below)

TScan Therapeutics, Inc.
Solid tumor program uses separate screening protocol designed to identify patients in advance of treatment protocol; on track to enroll first patient in study this year

Company adds TSC-201-B0702 to ImmunoBank, targeting novel melanoma-associated antigen C2 (MAGE-C2)

WALTHAM, Mass., Nov. 06, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- TScan Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: TCRX), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of T cell receptor (TCR)-engineered T cell therapies (TCR-T) for the treatment of patients with cancer, today announced the presentation of six posters at the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) 38th Annual Meeting.

“Solid tumors are notoriously heterogenous, which may contribute to low response rates and limited duration of response following treatment with single-targeting TCR-T cell therapy. TScan’s solid tumor program is designed to deliver multiplexed, enhanced TCR-T cell therapy to effectively address both target heterogeneity and HLA loss,” said Gavin MacBeath, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer. “TScan has initiated a screening protocol to test for target expression and the presence of HLA genes in patients’ tumors. This information is then used to determine eligibility for enrollment into the treatment protocol and to guide selection of which TCR-Ts to administer to the patient. We have already screened over 30 patients in the screening protocol and expect to enroll the first patient in our treatment protocol this year.”

Product Characteristics and Clinical Trial Design for T-Plex, a Multiplexed, Enhanced T cell Receptor-Engineered T cell Therapy for Solid Tumors

TScan’s Phase 1 solid tumor clinical trial is designed to assess customized, multiplexed TCR-T as a way to overcome tumor heterogeneity and HLA loss of heterozygosity. First generation TCR-T, targeting single antigens, has shown encouraging response rates (typically 30-50%), but has often shown short durations of response (3-4 months).

TScan believes that its approach to multiplexing across targets and HLAs will result in increased response rates and increased duration of response. To make this possible, TScan is prospectively screening patients with melanoma, non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), head and neck cancer, cervical cancer, ovarian cancer, and anogenital cancers for target expression and the presence of intact HLA genes. Customized treatment is made possible by the Company’s ImmunoBank, its repository of therapeutic TCRs that recognize diverse targets and are associated with multiple HLA types. TScan continues to prioritize populating the ImmunoBank to increase the number of addressable targets, thereby increasing the percentage of patients that are eligible to receive either singleplexed or multiplexed treatment.

In the treatment protocol, each TCR-T is first tested as singleplexed therapy at two different dose levels to assess safety. Once a TCR-T has cleared dose level two, it becomes eligible to be combined with any other TCR-T that has also cleared dose level two. As additional Investigational New Drug Applications (INDs) for TCR-Ts are cleared by the FDA and enter the ImmunoBank, they will be incorporated into the same study and follow the same dose escalation scheme, enabling a rapid path to novel multiplexed therapies.

Discovery of novel MAGE-C2 epitopes for TCR-T adoptive cell therapy from expanded T cell clones of TIL therapy products

Using TargetScan, TScan has identified a novel B*07:02-restricted epitope in the cancer/testis antigen MAGE-C2 as a promising target for TCR-T therapy. TScan is developing TSC-201-B0702, a TCR-T cell therapy that targets this epitope, with plans to file an IND by the end of the year. TCR-Ts targeting MAGE-C2 could potentially be used to treat up to 50% of melanoma patients, 25% of patients with head and neck cancers, and 50% of patients with NSCLC in the United States.

“As we expand the number of TCRs in the ImmunoBank, we expect the number of patients eligible for enrollment in our study to increase, providing a rapid and efficient path to delivering multiplexed therapy,” continued Dr. MacBeath. “In addition to filing an IND for TSC-201-B0702, we also anticipate filing an IND for TSC-204-A0101 by the end of 2023. TSC-204-A0101 targets an epitope on MAGE-A1 specific for the HLA type A*01:01.”

For additional information on all six posters presented at the SITC 38th Annual Meeting, visit the “Events and Presentations” section of the Company’s Investor Relations website at ir.tscan.com.