Cancer Research UK spin-out to trial T-cell therapy for blood cancer

A biotech spin-out from Cancer Research UK has been given FDA approval to trial its T-cell therapy in humans.

GammaDelta Therapeutics will test its T-cell therapy in a clinical trial expected to begin later this year. The trial will assess the safety of GammaDelta’s treatment and look for early indications of efficacy in people with a type of blood cancer called acute myeloid leukaemia (AML).

GammaDelta currently has four treatments in its pipeline, two of which are focused on treating haematological malignancies such as blood cancer. The company is looking at the clinical applications of allogeneic therapies based on gamma delta T lymphocytes. Gamma delta T cells make up only a small number of all the T cells in the body. Whilst they are less abundant, GammaDelta says they have distinct properties that give them promise as a potential cancer therapy.

Unlike the more abundant alpha beta T cells, which rely on a specific molecule to help them recognise red flags on cells, gamma delta T cells scan the surface of cells directly to spot potential threats. Because of this, GammaDelta’s T cell therapy could help treat patients whose cancer cells have tried to evade the immune system by removing certain molecules from their surface, making them invisible to alpha beta T cells.

“From our very first studies into γδ T cells in the 1980s, through to demonstrating their unique activity in the presence of cancer, it’s been clear that these immune cells have enormous potential for the development of new immunotherapy treatments,” said Adrian Hayday, scientific founder of GammaDelta.