PolyU collaborates with Axis Therapeutics to establish joint laboratory for immunotherapy

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) has entered into a formal collaboration with Axis Therapeutics (Axis) to foster cancer immunotherapy research and development, with the aim of improving cancer treatment for patients in Hong Kong. This collaboration will facilitate clinical trials of new T-cell receptor therapy using the newly established clinical Current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) facility at PolyU, which is compliant with the GMP Guide for the Advanced Therapy Products (ATPs), and the development of at least 30 new targeting agents against novel T-cell targets in cancer immunotherapy.

An agreement signing ceremony for the establishment of the PolyU-Axis Therapeutics Joint Laboratory for Immunotherapy was held on 18 April. Witnessed by Prof. Wing-tak WONG, PolyU’s Deputy President and Provost; Mr Yonghui WANG, Chairman/President of Xiangxue Pharmaceutical Co Ltd (XPH) and President of Axis; Mr Kejian ZHANG, Chairman of the Strategic Development Committee of XLifeSc; and Dr Johnson Yiu Nam LAU, co-founder of Axis and Adjunct Professor of the Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology of PolyU, the agreement was signed by Prof. Larry Ming Cheung CHOW, Head of the Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology; and Dr Lun ZENG, CEO of Axis and CEO of XLifeSc.

Prof. Wing-tak Wong said that this collaboration would strengthen PolyU’s ongoing efforts in conducting cutting-edge research in life science, especially in the area of translational medicine in cell therapy for treating various diseases including cancers, making contribution to the development of the Greater Bay Area into an innovation hub for cell therapy. Over the years, PolyU researchers have been engaged in the development of three new drugs that have obtained the status of Investigational New Drug (IND) approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for clinical trials, all involved in cancer drug treatment. Both small molecules like flavonoids and biologics (arginase enzymes) have been developed at PolyU by the State Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery and the Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology.

Immunotherapy and cell therapy are two of the most important discoveries for treating cancer of the past decade. The 2018 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to the discovery of the importance in cancer treatment of T-lymphocyte proteins CTLA-4 and PD-1. This opened a new area of “immune checkpoint therapy” whereby the cancer patient’s own immune system can be reactivated to kill the cancer cells. Another type of immunotherapy is the “adoptive cell therapy” where cancer patient’s own T-cells are collected, genetically modified to give them new function to kill cancers and then expanded in large numbers before being administered back to patients. One example of this therapy is T-cell receptor-engineered T cells (TCR-T), where XPH and its subsidiaries XLifeSc and Axis are the global leaders in this field.

Mr Yonghui Wang emphasised that XPH had been committed to the cell therapy programme since 2012. In 2018, Axis entered into an MOU with PolyU to bring cell therapy to cancer patients in Hong Kong. Axis/XLifeSc focuses on utilising the T-cell adoptive immunotherapy technology (TAEST technology) to treat cancers and has engaged in the research into and development of a new generation of anti-tumor TCR-T with a high specificity and affinity for a wide range of malignant solid tumors. Importantly, Axis already has two products with IND approvals in China for soft tissue sarcoma and primary liver cancer. The collaboration with PolyU will further enable Axis to conduct clinical trials in Hong Kong and benefits patients in the city. Moving forward, Axis will collaborate with PolyU in the development of up to 30 further targeting biologics, which could be adapted into novel cell therapy of the future.

With the funding support from the University Grants Committee, PolyU established a new clinical cGMP facility on campus which is compliant with the Pharmaceutical Inspection Convention and Pharmaceutical Inspection Co-operation Scheme (PIC/S)’s GMP Guide for the clinical research and development in the ATPs. This cGMP facility will use an isolator for aseptic handling of human stem cells or immune cells for regenerative medicine or immunotherapy clinical trials. It will be also equipped with a training production facility to provide professional training. PolyU researchers will work closely with Axis to unveil new tumour targeting biologics, including TCR-like antibodies, and to explore and develop them for cancer treatment based on cell therapy approach.

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