Atara Biotherapeutics Announces Preliminary Results for ATA2271, a Next-Generation Autologous Mesothelin-targeted CAR T-cell Therapy for Solid Tumors, at ESMO Immuno-Oncology Congress 2021

ATA2271 targets difficult-to-treat solid tumors using proprietary 1XX CAR signaling and intrinsic PD-1 checkpoint inhibition technology

Ongoing Phase 1 dose-escalation trial in advanced mesothelioma shows promising early safety and persistence of armored CAR T cells in patients

Excerpt from the Press Release:

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Atara Biotherapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATRA), a leader in T-cell immunotherapy, leveraging its novel allogeneic Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) T-cell platform to develop transformative therapies for patients with cancer and autoimmune diseases, today announced new preclinical and preliminary clinical results for ATA2271, a next-generation autologous chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy targeting mesothelin (MSLN). These promising early safety and functional persistence data were presented by collaborators at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center as a mini-oral session at the European Society for Medical Oncology Immuno-Oncology (ESMO I‑O) Congress 2021, in Geneva, Switzerland.

ATA2271 is an investigational, autologous, second-generation CAR-T immunotherapy that is designed to treat certain aggressive solid tumors, including malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM). Even with successful completion of a combination of chemotherapy, aggressive surgical resection and radiation therapy, the median survival of treated patients in this report is only 9-17 months. ATA2271 incorporates Atara’s novel inclusion of armoring, in the form of a PD-1 DNR construct, to overcome checkpoint inhibition and a 1XX costimulatory domain on the CAR to enhance expansion and functional persistence of the CAR T-cells.

“CAR T-cell therapies have made incredible in-roads in the treatment of hematological malignancies, but new technology and targeting approaches are needed to apply these gains to aggressive solid tumors,” said Cokey Nguyen, Senior Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer at Atara. “We are extremely encouraged by these early data assessing ATA2271 in advanced mesothelioma from a first-in-human (FIH) Phase 1 study. Early findings represent the first report of CAR T cells persisting over four weeks in a solid tumor microenvironment without need for additional agents, such as checkpoint inhibitors.”

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