February 03, 2023
LONDON, United Kingdom — Brunel University, London Works to Extend Know-How in Gene Therapy and Viral Safety Testing
Professor Mike Themis of Brunel University London has been awarded a CRACK IT grant by the NC3R’s organisation, a UK Government Medical Research Council and Pharma Industry-backed initiative. The grant is to carry out a Phase 1 proof-of-concept study to establish an in vitro assay system to evaluate the tumorigenicity of genetically engineered T cell therapies*. CRACK IT brings together academia, industry and SMEs to develop innovative solutions into marketable products or services that will have a significant 3Rs impact across the bioscience sector.
This year’s challenge is sponsored by five organisations from across the pharmaceutical sector who are providing in-kind contributions to help solve the Challenge. Challenges are also supported by Partners who provide additional resources to aid Challenge delivery.
T-ALERT
Cell therapies are medical treatments where viable cells are grafted into a patient to achieve a therapeutic effect. Engineered T cell therapies such as chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cells are emerging as effective therapeutic approaches in the treatment of some cancers. A potential risk associated with the genetic modification of T cells is tumourigenesis. Current approaches to assess the potential for tumourigenicity are limited. For example, in vivo tumourigenicity studies in mice are invasive, can involve a minimum of 30 to 40 immunocompromised animals with studies running for up to one year, and the results of these are often not predictive of clinical outcome.
Sponsored by Novartis, Takeda, AstraZeneca, Sonoma Biotherapeutics and GentiBio, and supported by Challenge Partner the UK Health and Environmental Sciences Institute (HESI), This Challenge aims to develop an in vitro assay that can reliably evaluate tumourigenicity of human-engineered T cell therapies and replace the use of in vivo studies in mice.
Professor Themis is also the CSO of Testavec Limited a Brunel University spin-out that has developed the world’s first in vitro testing system for testing the likely Tumorgenicity of vectors to be used in gene therapy. The h’Ingetox system utilises human cells in vitro. The benefit of in vitro tests using human cells is that they are faster and more reliable.
Testavec Ltd is a spin-out Company from Brunel University, London offering testing services relating to risk of damage caused by treatments. For example
h’Ingetox tests the likely toxicity of vectors to be used in gene therapy.
Dinarep assesses the ability of a patient to repair their DNA if they are likely to be subject to radiation or chemotherapy.
Puravec will check on the purity of vectors to enable identification and removal or modification of impurities present that may give rise to adverse reactions when present in viral vectors.
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About
Testavec Limited was established by Brunel University London to Commercialise the discoveries arising out of research performed at the Brunel University Centre for Genome Engineering. Testavec is headed up by Professor Michael Themis who has more than 20 years of experience in the Viral vector field and Robert Spencer the former head of the Investment Committee of Biotechnology Investments PLC and a serial Entrepreneur.