Nektar enters into new clinical study collaboration with CBMG

Nektar Therapeutics announced that it has entered into a new clinical study collaboration with Cellular Biomedicine Group, or CBMG. The study will evaluate Nektar’s NKTR-255, a novel interleukin-15, or IL-15, receptor agonist, in combination with CBMG’s C-TIL051, a tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte, or TIL, therapy, in advanced non-small cell lung cancer, or NSCLC, patients that are relapsed or refractory to anti-PD-1 therapy. NKTR-255 is a novel polymer-conjugated human IL-15 receptor agonist currently being studied in two separate Phase 2 studies in combination with cell therapies and immunotherapies. Preclinical and early clinical data suggest that IL-15 can improve proliferation and persistence of cellular therapies including TIL, TCR, and CAR-T therapies to increase specific anti-tumor activity. Under the new collaboration, CBMG will add NKTR-255 to its ongoing CBMG-sponsored Phase 1 clinical trial evaluating C-TIL051 in NSCLC patients who have relapsed on or were refractory to anti-PD-1 therapy, which is being conducted at Duke Cancer Institute. The study is expected to enroll a total of 20 patients. Nektar will contribute NKTR-255 supply for the study. Nektar and CBMG will each maintain existing global rights to their respective investigational medicines.