BC Cancer, part of the Provincial Health Services Authority

Published purpose

Immunotherapy has yielded disappointing results against ovarian cancer, prompting the need for bold new approaches. Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T cells have proven phenomenally successful against blood cancers but show poor efficacy against solid tumours. The NRC has created a nanobody-based, mesothelin-specific CAR (MesoCAR) to treat ovarian, pancreatic and other cancers. With Innovakine Therapeutics, the PI has developed an engineered cytokine receptor system that enables potent, clinician-controlled amplification of T cell responses in vivo. It is proposed to combine these technologies to create a Canadian-made CAR-T cell product that is safe, effective and affordable for the treatment of ovarian cancer. The project will engage in pre-clinical studies to assess the efficacy, safety and mechanistic features of this innovative therapeutic strategy and to develop cost-effective manufacturing methods for future clinical use. The project team is well-positioned to advance this world-first approach to early-stage, near-term clinical trials for the benefit of ovarian cancer patients.