PROBLEM

CAR T-cell therapy against CD19 has become the standard of care for relapsed/refractory B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), the most common kind of lymphoma. Recent studies have identified clinical risk factors for prediction of CAR T therapy failure; however, these risk factors are inconsistent in that high-risk patients often experience success while low-risk patients still experience CAR T failure. The exact mechanism driving this failure is not known, thus novel biomarkers and predictors are needed to refine this treatment protocol.

SOLUTION

Researchers at The Ohio State University have identified a novel set of 11 cellular markers that can be used to rapidly analyze blood samples at early timepoints to predict risk of treatment failure in NHL patients undergoing commercially available CAR T therapies.

APPLICATIONS

• Development of an assay to predict risk of treatment failure in NHL patients undergoing commercially available CAR T therapies
• Development of an easy-to-use flow cytometry kit comprising the 11 markers – surface antibodies are already commercially available for the markers in the panel, thus requires less development

ADVANTAGES

• Rapid patient-specific data to guide clinical decisions: predict long term outcomes early in treatment protocol (Day 14) such that adjustments can be made more efficiently; current methods (PET imaging and minimal residual disease (MRD) analysis cannot be used until Day 30 and 28, respectively)
• Cost effective: inexpensive analysis compared to current methods (e.g. MRD analysis, nex-gen sequencing)
• Easy blood sample collection: currently used methods, such as MRD analysis require complicated sample collection techniques

Seeking opportunities for out-licensing, co-development, or collaboration