The consortium led by the company OneChain Immunotherapeutics (OCI) located at the Barcelona Scientific Park (PCB) has received almost 2 million euros from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation to bring an innovative therapy to the clinical phase. This therapy could treat up to 80% of patients with T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL), a rare condition with few therapeutic options, affecting children (60%) and adults. The project, set to last three years, will involve collaboration with the Josep Carreras Institute and the Blood and Tissue Bank.
The treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia type T, one of the most aggressive forms of leukemia, has historically relied on intensive chemotherapy. Despite improvements in survival rates, this therapy results in devastating effects for patients. Furthermore, a significant percentage of them do not respond to treatment.
The therapy developed by OCI will simultaneously target two markers present on cancer cells, making it more effective than single-target therapies and expanding the number of treatable patients. CAR T therapy has not yet become a consolidated option against T-cell leukemias, such as T-ALL, because tumor and healthy T cells exhibit almost the same molecules on their surface. As a result, CAR T therapies aimed at T-ALL destroy both types of cells, leading to severe immunosuppression in patients.
OCI has already developed a CAR-T therapy directed at the CD1a protein, a safe target with little presence in healthy cells. However, this molecule is present in cortical T-ALL (coT-ALL), a subset of T-ALL, representing only 30-40% of T-ALL patients.
The grant has been awarded in the call for public-private collaboration projects by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation. It is the result of recognition awarded to projects that have already reached an advanced phase of development and are ready to transition to clinical application.
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