Periodic Reporting for period 1 - IT4B-ALL (Therapeutic immunotherapy targeting NG2 and CD22 antigens for MLL-rearranged and MLL-germline B-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia)
Reporting period: 2019-01-01 to 2020-06-30
The overarching goal of this project to provide novel therapeutic options for (R/R) B-ALL. Targeting surface antigens whose expression, opposite to CD19, are commonly retained at relapse is a valid strategy to circumvent the loss of CD19 found in (R/R) B-ALL after CD19-targeted therapies. Recent work funded by my ERC-2014-CoG has identified NG2 and CD22 as key antigens to be targeted in (R/R) B-ALL. First, both antigens are retained in CD19neg R/R B-ALL. Second, NG2 is solely expressed in MLLr B-ALL, and is associated with CNS infiltration, aggressiveness and glucocorticoid resistance.
In this ERC-PoC project we have explored the potential of targeting either NG2 or CD22 in B-ALL. This project has produced several peer-review scientific publication in leading journals of hematology and has allowed to fill in two patents to strengthen our IP position. The CD22 patent has been licensed to a Capital Venture-invested spin-off company (One Chain Immunotherapeutics) for clinical development and commercialization of such immunotherapies.