Cellectis publishes molecular therapy article on SMART DUAL CAR T-cell approach for the treatment of recalcitrant solid tumors

NEW YORK, Aug. 26, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Cellectis (the “Company”) (Euronext Growth: ALCLS – NASDAQ: CLLS), a clinical-stage biotechnology company using its breakthrough gene editing platform to develop life-saving cell and gene therapies, today published an article in Molecular Therapy in which TALEN^®-mediated gene editing capabilities for the design of SMART DUAL CAR T cells, which efficiently target immunotherapy-recalcitrant solid tumors while limiting potential safety risks.

Adoptive cell therapy based on CAR T cells has proven to be life-saving for many cancer patients. However, its therapeutic efficacy has so far been limited to only a few malignancies, with solid tumors proving particularly resistant to efficient therapy.

A key factor for this is cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), which modulate the tumor microenvironment (TME) to inhibit T cell infiltration and induce T cell dysfunction. Furthermore, the scarcity of tumor-specific antigens (TSA) and expression of CAR-directed tumor-associated antigens (TAA) on normal tissues often results in on-target off-tumor cytotoxicity, raising safety concerns.

Using TALEN® gene editing technology, Cellectis presents an innovative CAR T cell engineering strategy designed to overcome these challenges. Our allogeneic SMART CAR T cells are engineered to express a constitutive CAR targeting FAP⁺ CAFs in solid tumors, and a second inducible CAR, expressed only in the presence of FAP+ CAFs and targeted to the tumor-associated antigen (TAA) called mesothelin. The resulting SMART Dual CAR T cells efficiently infiltrate and target triple-negative breast tumors in physiologically relevant mouse models, without observable on-target, off-tumor toxicity.

“The adaptations of this approach may overcome several key challenges for CAR T-cell therapy against solid tumors – low CAR T-cell infiltration, immunosuppressive microenvironment, antigen heterogeneity, and on-target, off-tumor toxicity. Thus, this strategy has important implications for successful therapeutic development of CAR T cells against solid tumors,” said Shipra Das, Ph.D., Associate Director of Immuno-Oncology and Innovation Program Management at Cellectis.

The article is available on the Molecular Therapy website by clicking on this link: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1525001624005409?utm_campaign=STMJ_219742_AUTH_SERV_PA&utm_medium=email&utm_acid=300123771&SIS_ID=&dgcid=STMJ_219742_AUTH_SERV_PA&CMX_ID=&utm_in=DM500444&utm_source=AC_

About Cellectis
Cellectis is a clinical-stage biotechnology company using its breakthrough gene editing platform to develop life-saving cell and gene therapies. Cellectis is using an allogeneic approach to CAR-T immunotherapies in oncology, and is a pioneer in ready-to-use gene-edited CAR T cells to treat cancer patients, and a platform to create therapeutic gene editing in hematopoietic stem cells for multiple diseases. As a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company with 25 years of gene editing experience and expertise, Cellectis is developing life-changing product candidates using TALEN®, its gene editing technology, and PulseAgile, its breakthrough electroporation system, to harness the power of the immune system to treat diseases with unmet medical needs. Cellectis is headquartered in Paris, France, with locations in New York, New York, and Raleigh, North Carolina. Cellectis is listed on the Nasdaq Global Market (ticker: CLLS) and on Euronext Growth (ticker: ALCLS).

Forward-looking statements

This press release contains “forward-looking” statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws, including the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements can be identified by words such as “designed to” and “could” or the negative of these and similar expressions. These forward-looking statements are based on our management’s current expectations and assumptions and on information currently available to management. Forward-looking statements include statements regarding the potential of the Company’s research and development programs. These forward-looking statements are made in light of information currently available to us and are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, including the numerous risks associated with the development of biopharmaceutical product candidates. With respect to our cash runway, our operating plans, including product development plans, could change as a result of a variety of factors, including factors currently unknown to us. In addition, many other important factors, including those described in our Annual Report on Form 20-F and Financial Report (including Management’s Report) for the year ended December 31, 2023 and subsequent filings that Cellectis makes from time to time with the Securities Exchange Commission, as well as other known and unknown risks and uncertainties, could adversely affect such forward-looking statements and cause our actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to publicly release these forward-looking statements or to update the reasons why actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements, even if new information becomes available in the future.

For more information about Cellectis, please contact:

Media contacts:

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Investor Relations Contact:
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