Sana shelves its in vivo Car-T
The once-hyped group’s most advanced hope is an allogeneic CD19 Car-T, where competition is fierce.
The once-hyped group’s most advanced hope is an allogeneic CD19 Car-T, where competition is fierce.
Sana Biotechnology scored the biggest biotech IPO in 2021, raising $676m despite still being at the preclinical stage. Yesterday it gave investors a reminder that science is hard, slashing its headcount and shelving plans to go into human trials with its boldest R&D project, the in vivo Car-T contender SG299.
The move might be sensible given the difficulties that Sana has faced – it had initially hoped to take in vivo Car-T into the clinic in 2022. However, the rest of its pipeline does not make for particularly exciting reading. The most advanced asset is SC291, a CD19-targeted allogeneic Car-T – an area in which other groups are further ahead, and which last year saw the entrance of the cancer juggernaut Roche, through a deal with Poseida.
In addition, there have been doubts about durability with allogeneic projects. Still, Caribou recently provided some reassurance on the longevity of its contender, CB-010.
Notable allogeneic CD19-targeted Car-Ts in development
| Project | Company | Details |
|---|---|---|
| ALLO-501A | Allogene/Servier (via Cellectis) | Data from pivotal Alpha-2 trial (NCT04416984) in 3L+ LBCL due by YE 2024; earlier line Alpha-3 trial to start 2024 |
| CB-010 | Caribou Biosciences | Dose-expansion data in 2L LBCL from Antler trial (NCT04637763) due H1 2024 |
| CTX110 | Crispr Therapeutics | Company enrolling/dosing pts in ph2 portion of Carbon trial (NCT04035434) in r/r B-cell malignancies |
| Azercabtagene zapreleucel | Imugene (via Precision BioSciences) | Ph2 registrational trial in 3/4L DLBLC to start in 2024 |
| SC291 | Sana Biotechnology | Data from ph1 Ardent trial (NCT05878184) due 2023/2024 |
| CTX112 (“next gen”) | Crispr Therapeutics | Company enrolling/dosing pts in ph1 trial (NCT05643742) in r/r B-cell malignancies |
| P-CD19CD20-ALLO1 | Poseida/Roche | First pt to be dosed in ph1 trial (NCT06014762) in early 2024 |
Source: OncologyPipeline.
Sana claims to have developed “hypoimmune” cells that could address lack of durability. Clinical data on SC291 are due this year, but it might be a while before it becomes clear whether the asset is indeed better than its allogeneic rivals.
In the meantime, Sana is trying to conserve cash by cutting 29% of its employees. The group’s market cap of around $750m is a fraction of what it was when it first went public, and it could have further to fall.
A benchmark of sorts for CD19 allogeneic Car-T was provided in August, when Imugene bought Precision Biosciences’ azercabtagene zapreleucel for just $21m.
But Sana has other irons in the fire, including an allogeneic CD22-targeted Car-T, SC262, for which an IND is planned this year, and a BCMA-directed project, SC255, slightly further behind. However, the latter is another popular target.
Outside oncology, the group is looking at Car-T for autoimmune disease – an area that numerous rivals have recently piled into – and modified islet cells for the treatment of type 1 diabetes, where the likes of Lilly and Vertex are making a play.
Sana floated at the peak of the last biotech bubble, but it has quickly gone from record breaker to ordinary. It will now be an uphill battle to change investors’ minds.
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