Specialist
Former project manager at the Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology (SIAT) of the Chinese Academy of Science
Agenda
- Technical challenges of CAR-T cell therapy for solid tumours – tumour heterogeneity and microenvironment
- Pancreatic, thyroid, gastric and liver cancer research, plus domestic and foreign players’ clinical progress
- Costimulatory signal design and dual-targeting CAR-T design technical barriers
- CAR-T cell therapy for solid tumours – development and clinical barriers, clinical trial protocol and endpoint design
Questions
1.
CAR-T cell therapy technology found its broad application in the blood cancer field. Can you introduce its indications that have attracted much attention in the solid tumour research field such as colorectal, thyroid, gastric and liver cancer? Which indications are the most promising?
2.
What are the present countermeasures for the tumour microenvironment, such as the extracellular matrix or some special cells, say, in terms of the product design of CAR-T cells?
3.
Which technical paths of the aforementioned physical, chemical and biological strategies are the most mature or applied the most widely, say, in terms of indications in the liver cancer field?
4.
If costimulatory signals are to be added when designing CAR-T cells, what are the signal screening and design standards? What effects does the addition of one or more costimulatory signals have on CAR-T cell expansion, anti-tumour activity and pharmacokinetics?
5.
What potential risks does the addition of costimulatory signals bring to products in the R&D or clinical process?
6.
Nowadays, bispecific CAR-T cells have solicited much attention. Popular antigens include CD19, CD20 and CD22. There is abundant research about them in the blood tumour field. Which targets may be prioritised to develop a bispecific CAR-T cell to treat liver cancer and other solid tumours? What other technical challenges are there in the solid tumour field?
7.
Regarding CAR-T cell therapy for solid tumours, what are the strategies to promote the homing of the immune cells? What are the most pressing and difficult issues in the industry right now?
8.
Considering the exhaustion of CAR-T cells in the body, how many cells should the product contain for the treatment of liver cancer and other solid tumours? Many companies have just begun to promote related projects. How to interpret their relevant pharmacokinetic data?
9.
If the CAR-T cell therapy for solid tumours is used clinically, how will the associated solutions and endpoint design differ from those for haematologic tumours? What points do you think are worth paying attention to?
10.
Which typical clinical centres in China have PIs that can conduct clinical trials on CAR-T cell therapy for solid tumours? There are many new drugs for the treatment of solid tumours. In this sense, are there any problems with the enthusiasm of specialists and the inclusion of patients in clinical trials regarding CAR-T cell therapy for solid tumours? What about the current progress?
11.
At present, some domestic companies are engaged in the R&D of products related to CAR-T cell therapy for solid tumours, such as Legend Biotech and CARsgen Therapeutics. Could you introduce their advantages and disadvantages regarding the research on CAR-T cell therapy and target selection compared with foreign players? Among those companies, which ones are you more optimistic about in terms of research results or product R&D prospects?
12.
What are the focuses of the CDE (Center for Drug Evaluation) regarding the review of CAR-T cell therapy for solid tumours? According to the review experience in this regard, is it possible for new products to be launched in the next few years?
