Nature Cancer publication identifies a clinically effective subset of CAR T cells by profiling with TIMING

Results highlight the value of quantifying how individual cells move and interact over time to predict patient response to immune cell-based therapies

PUBLICATION ALERT

HOUSTON, Texas — May 15, 2024. CellChorus®, the dynamic single-cell analysis company™, announced that authors from the University of Houston, Kite Pharma (a Gilead company), the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Texas Children’s Hospital/Baylor College of Medicine, and CellChorus published data in Nature Cancer identifying a subset of CAR T cells within axicabtagene ciloleucel (axi-cel) products that result in patient responses. Key results including single-cell migration, killing, and serial killing were generated with the company’s Time-lapse Imaging In Nanowell Grids (TIMING™) platform, which applies artificial intelligence (AI) to evaluate cells over time. The publication is titled “Identification of a clinically efficacious CAR T cell subset by dynamic multi-dimensional single-cell profiling” Selected TIMING videos are available in the supplementary information section on the Nature Cancer website.

Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells can be a life-saving treatment for patients with cancer and other disorders. Despite this promise, not all patients respond to therapy and some experience severe side effects. It is therefore essential to identify recipients who are likely to benefit.

In the Nature Cancer publication, scientists conducted multifaceted single-cell analysis of CAR T cells from axi-cel infusion products of patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma using the TIMING platform. Powered by AI, the TIMING analysis led to identification of a subpopulation of CD8+ T cells (CD8-fit cells) that are migratory and capable of serial killing. The percent of CD8-fit cells within infusion products was correlated with complete clinical responses. These results highlight the value of quantifying how individual cells move and interact over time to predict and improve patient responses to immune cell-based therapies.

"These recent clinical data add to the body of literature showing that TIMING can predict anti-tumor activity of CAR T cell therapy in animals and humans,” said Laurence Cooper, MD, PhD, co-founder and Board Chair at CellChorus. "With additional support from the NIH and NSF, we are developing a platform that provides a unique understanding of how immune cells move, interact and perform to improve the success and speed of research, development, and delivery of novel therapies."

The CellChorus TIMING platform quantifies a wide range of single-cell functional characteristics of cells, including cell phenotype, migration, proliferation, contact dynamics, viability, potency (killing and serial killing), activation-induced cell death, exhaustion, and secretion of biomolecules such as cytokines. The live-cell imaging platform applies AI to provide users with expanded functional readouts on individual cells and interactions, subpopulation analyses, and the option to select cells of interest for downstream profiling—as described in this research and prior publications.

This manuscript follows a paper in Journal of Clinical Investigation titled “Multidimensional single-cell analysis identifies a role of CD2-CD58 interactions for clinical antitumor T cell responses” that identified patients responding to CAR T-cell therapy. Collectively, these and prior publications have demonstrated the application of TIMING data to (i) engineer effective cell therapies, (ii) select lead candidates for Investigational New Drug-enabling studies, (iii) profile responders and non-responders in clinical studies, and (iv) evaluate potency under different manufacturing processes. The platform is the emerging standard for evaluating cell fitness and function across the life cycle of immune cell-based therapies.

About CellChorus

CellChorus® is the leader in applying artificial intelligence to quantify the function and performance of cells over time to improve the development and delivery of novel therapies that improve patient care. The company applies Time-lapse Imaging Microscopy In Nanowell Grids™ (TIMING™) with neural network-based detection to identify how multiple types of cells move, activate, kill, proliferate, and survive at single-cell resolution. The patent-protected platform links TIMING data with other single-cell modalities to provide a comprehensive understanding of cellular function and therapeutic potential. Please visit cellchorus.com for more information.

Company Contact:
Daniel Meyer
Chief Executive Officer
CellChorus Inc.
TIMING@cellchorus.com

SOURCE CellChorus Inc.