GLPG5101: CD19 CAR-T in relapsed/refractory non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma
Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) is a cancer originating from lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell which is part of the body’s immune system. NHL can occur at any age although it is more common in adults over 50 years old. Initial symptoms usually are enlarged lymph nodes, fever, and weight loss. There are many different types of NHL. These types can be divided into aggressive (fast-growing) and indolent (slow-growing) types, and they can be formed from either B lymphocytes (B cells) or in lesser extent from T lymphocytes (T cells) or Natural Killer cells (NK cells). B cell lymphoma makes up about 85% of NHL cases diagnosed in the US. Prognosis and treatment of NHL depend on the stage and type of disease.
GLPG5101 is our second generation anti-CD19/4-1BB CAR-T product candidate, administered as an intravenous infusion of a fresh product candidate in a single fixed dose. Its feasibility, safety, and efficacy of point-of-care manufacturing are currently being evaluated in the ATALANTA-1 Phase 1/2, open-label, multicenter study in patients with relapsed/refractory non-Hodgkin lymphoma (rrNHL).
The primary objective of the Phase 1 part of the ATALANTA-1 study is to evaluate safety and to determine the recommended dose for the Phase 2 part of the study. Secondary objectives include assessment of efficacy and feasibility of point-of-care manufacturing of GLPG5101. The dose levels that are evaluated in the Phase 1 part are 50x106 (DL1), 110x106 (DL2) and 250x106 (DL3) CAR-T cells. The primary objective of the Phase 2 part is to evaluate the objective response rate (ORR) while the secondary objectives include complete response rate (CRR), duration of response, progression free survival, overall survival, safety, pharmacokinetic profile, and feasibility of point-of-care manufacturing. Each enrolled patient will be followed for 24 months.
ATALANTA CD19 CAR-T Phase 1/2a in rrNHL
Evaluating feasibility, safety and efficacy of point-of-care CD19 CAR-T
In December 2022, we presented initial data from the ATALANTA-1 Phase 1 study during a poster session at the 64th Annual American Society of Hematology (ASH) Congress in New Orleans, Louisiana. The initial results from 7 patients that were eligible for efficacy evaluation (ATALANTA-1 Phase 1 study cut-off date: 8 November 2022) indicated that a 7-day vein-to-vein time was feasible and demonstrated strong and consistent in vivo CAR-T expansion levels. Moreover, the initial efficacy results were encouraging with an observed ORR of 86% and a complete response (CR) observed in all responding patients. A duration of response of up to 7 months has been reported and follow-up is ongoing. Two patients who received DL1 that progressed, after initial stable disease or CR respectively, had a CD19-negative escape. No CD19-positive relapses have been observed.
In the initial safety analysis of these 7 patients, adverse events were consistent with the known toxicities of CD19 CAR-T treatment. No grade 3 or higher cytokine release syndrome (CRS) or immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome (ICANS) was observed in any of the patients. At DL2, CRS grade 1 or 2 was reported in 4 patients and ICANS grade 1 was reported in 3 patients. Patients at DL1 did not experience any grade of CRS or ICANS. Dose-limiting toxicity (neutropenia grade 4 for >21 days) was observed in 1 patient (DL2) and the majority of grade ≥3 adverse events were hematological toxicities.
The study is currently enrolling rrNHL patients in Europe and the first expansion cohort for Mantle Cell Lymphoma, a form of NHL, is currently open for recruitment. We aim to provide Phase 1 topline results around mid-2023.