Dive Brief:
- CTL019, a leukemia drug developed by Novartis, has been given breakthrough status.
- Novartis co-developedCTL019 with the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine.
- The intended treatment is for relapse/refractory acute lymphoblastic leukemia in adults and pediatric patients.
Dive Insight:
The collaboration between Penn and Novartis has yielded CAR technology, which reprograms a patient’s own T-cells to target cancer cells expressing CD19 proteins. These cells are then reprogrammed and reintroduced into the patient’s blood. Novartis holds worldwide rights to CAR technology. Currently, CTL019 is in phase II development.