Martinsried/Munich – Medigene AG (FSE: MDG1, Prime Standard), a clinical stage immuno-oncology company focusing on the development of T cell immunotherapies, announced today that the Company’s strategic partner bluebird bio, Inc. (NASDAQ:BLUE), USA, at its analyst day presentation, will present preclinical data of the first therapeutic T cell receptor (TCR) candidate resulting from the research and development partnership with Medigene. Furthermore, bluebird bio announced plans to start clinical development in 2020 with this candidate TCR targeting the tumor antigen MAGE-A4, which is expressed on a variety of solid tumor types.
The presented preclinical data demonstrate a high antigen sensitivity of the MAGE-A4-TCR with strong recognition of tumor cell lines and durable tumor elimination in a subcutaneous in vivo melanoma model. Furthermore, the data show functional responses in both CD8+ and CD4+ T cell populations, suggesting that no co-receptor will be needed for use of the MAGE-A4-TCR in solid tumors. The high functional avidity of this TCR enables it to trigger killing by CD4+ T cells in addition to CD8+ T cells, helping to potentially overcome immune suppression that is often prevalent in solid tumor microenvironments.
bluebird bio revealed its plans to start clinical development for this TCR-T-cell therapy for solid tumors in 2020, and may potentially combine this highly active TCR with other technologies to enhance T cell function in solid tumor microenvironments in next generation programs.
This is the first collaboration target of Medigene’s partnership with bluebird bio of a potential six TCR products that the companies have agreed to work on together.
Kontakt Medigene AG
Julia Hofmann, Dr. Robert Mayer
Tel.: +49 – 89 – 20 00 33 – 33 01
Email: investor@medigene.com
www.medigene.de
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emitter: Medigene AG
address: Lochhamer Straße 11, 82152 Planegg
country: Germany
contact person: Julia Hofmann, Head of Public and Investor Relations
phone: +49 89 200033-3301
e-mail: investor@medigene.com
website: www.medigene.de
ISIN(s): DE000A1X3W00 (share)
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