The executive vice president of research and development at Jasper Therapeutics discussed how JSP191 is designed to be better-tolerated than current conditioning regimens.
“JSP 191 is a monoclonal antibody that is directed at CD117. The way this antibody works is it takes away that survival mechanism by blocking the receptor and this results in stem cell depletion. It does so in a manner that is significantly well-tolerated, not the same kind of toxicity associated with other conditioning regimens. And therefore, it offers an opportunity for a safer, gentler conditioning regimen for patients.”
Stem cell therapies require prior, often harsh, conditioning regimens to allow new stem cells to successfully graft. Jasper Therapeutics is aiming to develop a safer, better-tolerated conditioning regimen with their lead program, JSP191, a targeted, first-in-class humanized monoclonal antibody designed to block stem cell factor receptor signaling leading to clearance of hematopoietic stem cells from bone marrow, creating an empty space for donor or gene-corrected transplanted stem cells to engraft.
JSP191 has been evaluated in more than 90 healthy volunteers and patients and is currently in 2 clinical trials for myelodysplastic syndromes/acute myeloid leukemia (NCT04429191) and severe combined immunodeficiency (NCT02963064).
Jasper Therapeutics recently announced a collaboration with Aruvant Sciences to study the use of JSP191 with ARU-1801, an investigational lentiviral gene therapy for the treatment of sickle cell disease, in June 2021.
GeneTherapyLive spoke with Kevin Heller, MD, Jasper’s executive vice president of research and development to learn more about JSP191 and its role in autologous gene therapy and allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.