Allogene unveils Dagger technology during R&D showcase

Allogene Therapeutics hosted an R&D Showcase, during which the company said it provided "an extensive overview of pipeline advances from three clinical stage AlloCAR T programs," including clinical updates on the company’s hematologic franchises focused on investigational products targeting CD19 and BCMA for the treatment of large B cell lymphoma and multiple myeloma, respectively. The company also unveiled its Dagger technology, the company’s next generation allogeneic platform technology designed to prevent immune rejection and enable a window of persistence during which AlloCAR T cells can expand and actively target and destroy cancer cells. "Dagger has the potential to enable a pipeline of innovative product candidates," the company stated. "From the very beginning, one of the biggest questions facing the field of allogeneic CAR T has been whether an off-the-shelf product can match the high durability bar set by autologous therapies. We believe the longer-term follow up data from our Phase 1 studies establish that this is indeed possible. As we look to confirm our exciting results in the first allogeneic CAR T Phase 2 trial for which we are enrolling, I believe we are entering a new phase of development for AlloCAR T, one in which the field can turn its attention to "when" and not "if" these product candidates will begin to provide great benefit to patients with cancer," said David Chang, M.D., Ph.D., President, CEO and Co-Founder of Allogene. "We have undertaken a rigorous step-by-step process to evaluate, understand and optimize our AlloCAR T platform. Our continuous learning approach has enabled an industry-leading pipeline of off-the-shelf AlloCAR T product candidates for hematologic and solid tumor malignancies, and we are delighted to be sharing some initial, highly promising data in solid tumors. Our focus is to advance this pipeline, including the execution of our Phase 2 trial for ALLO-501A and preparation for a potential Phase 2 trial on ALLO-715. We believe success in this endeavor will enable us to bring the promise of cell therapy to far more patients in need," added Rafael Amado M.D., Executive Vice President of Research and Development at Allogene.