Clinical Trials

Kuur Therapeutics is working with our partners at Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children’s Hospital to run pioneering first in human clinical studies of our CAR-NKT cells. Our clinical trials are designed to meet all applicable regulatory and ethical requirements, including US Food and Drug Administration and Institutional Review Board approvals. The team at the Center for Cell and Gene Therapy at Baylor is a world leader and very experienced with cell and gene therapy clinical trials.

KUR-501

GD2 is a molecule expressed on almost all neuroblastomas, and on some other tumors, with restricted expression on normal tissues, making it a good target for CAR-NKT cell therapy.

We are developing KUR-501 for the treatment of high risk, relapsed, refractory neuroblastoma in children. KUR-501 is an autologous cell therapy targeting GD2, which utilizes our NKT cell platform technology in combination with genetically engineered CARs. The GINAKIT2 clinical trial led by Andras Heczey, MD, is currently open to recruitment at Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA.

In addition, travel assistance is available to qualifying families, through a grant awarded by Alex’s Lemonade Stand Travel Care program.

See our press release regarding the first dosed patient here.

See our pipeline for current status.

KUR-502

CD19 is a molecule expressed on B lymphocytes and their precursors of the immune system. CD19 is also expressed on most diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL), acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) tumor cells. CD19 is a good target for CAR-NKT cell therapy because it is widely expressed on these tumors. Because it is expressed on normal B cells, the CAR-NKT cell therapy is expected to kill the normal B cells as well as the tumor. Luckily the function of normal B cells can be replaced temporarily with infusions of antibodies (which normal B cells make). After the tumor is killed by the CAR-NKT cells and the CAR-NKT cells dissipate from the body, then the normal B cells grow back.

We are developing KUR-502 for the treatment of relapsed, refractory DLBCL, adult ALL and CLL. KUR-502 is an allogeneic (off the shelf) cell therapy targeting CD19, which utilizes our NKT cell platform technology in combination with genetically engineered CARs. An advantage of the off the shelf CAR-NKT product is that the therapy will be immediately available to sick patients and they will not need to undergo a collection of their own cells followed by a several week long manufacturing process, which is the standard, traditional process for autologous immune cell therapies. The ANCHOR clinical trial, led by Carlos Ramos, MD, is currently open to recruitment at Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA.

See our pipeline for current status.

KUR-503

GPC3 is a molecule expressed on hepatocellular (liver) cancer cells. GPC3 is a good target for CAR-NKT cell therapy because it is frequently expressed on most hepatocellular cancer cells, but not normal liver tissue. In addition, there are data from our lab and other groups showing that NKT cells will home to solid tumors, especially the liver. GPC3 is also expressed on other tumors.

We are developing KUR-503 for the treatment of patients with advanced hepatocellular (liver) carcinoma. KUR-503 is an allogeneic (off the shelf) cell therapy targeting GPC3, which utilizes our NKT cell platform technology in combination with genetically engineered CARs. An advantage of the off the shelf CAR-NKT product is that the therapy will be immediately available to sick patients and they will not need to undergo a collection of their own cells followed by a several week long manufacturing process, which is the standard, traditional process for autologous immune cell therapies. We are planning to open a clinical trial of KUR-503 in conjunction with our partners at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, USA in 2021.

See our pipeline for current status.