Opportunities for CAR T-Cell Therapy in Solid Tumors

"What is it about the solid tumor micro-environment that makes it challenging for T cells? One of the things is that it really is a tough environment for cells to survive in. The centers of solid tumors will become necrotic. They're very low-glucose, low-oxygen environments, a lot of down regulation of T cells. We came at things from that approach and said, 'Are there specific properties of a solid tumor micro-environment that we can arm the T cells to be able to survive better?'" —Geoffrey Hodge, chief executive officer of SOTIO BioTech US

Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy has proven to be efficacious for hematological indications, but its utility in solid tumors has been more of a challenge historically.

Many cell therapy developers are exploring combination therapies or secreting cytokines, but SOTIO is taking a different approach, according to Geoffrey Hodge, chief executive officer of SOTIO BioTech US.

"What is it about the solid tumor micro-environment that makes it challenging for T cells? One of the things is that it really is a tough environment for cells to survive in. The centers of solid tumors will become necrotic. They're very low-glucose, low-oxygen environments, a lot of down regulation of T cells," he told CGTL in an interview. "We came at things from that approach and said, 'Are there specific properties of a solid tumor micro-environment that we can arm the T cells to be able to survive better?'"

Hodge and Radek Špíšek, PhD, co-founder and chief executive officer of SOTIO Global, joined CGTL to discuss SOTIO, its 3 technology platforms, its pipeline of IL-15 Superagonists and antibody-drug conjugates, and the status of its clinical programs.