PATENT OF THE WEEK – COMPOSITIONS FOR TREATMENT OF CANCER

The Compositions for treatment of cancer was invented by Carl H. JuneBruce L. LevineDavid L. PorterMichael D. KalosMichael C. Milone on the 11^th August, 2015, bearing patent number US9102761B2.

The present invention provides compositions and methods for treating cancer in a human. The invention includes relates to administering a genetically modified T cell to express a CAR wherein the CAR comprises an antigen binding domain, a transmembrane domain, a costimulatory signaling region, and a CD3 zeta signaling domain.

The large majority of patients having B-cell malignancies, including chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), will die from their disease. One approach to treating these patients is to genetically modify T cells to target antigens expressed on tumor cells through the expression of chimeric antigen receptors (CARs). CARs are antigen receptors that are designed to recognize cell surface antigens in a human leukocyte antigen-independent manner. Attempts in using genetically modified cells expressing CARs to treat these types of patients have met with very limited success

In most cancers, tumor-specific antigens are not yet well defined, but in B cell malignancies, CD19 is an attractive tumor target. Expression of CD19 is restricted to normal and malignant B cells so that CD19 is a widely accepted target to safely test CARs. While CARs can trigger T-cell activation in a manner similar to an endogenous T-cell receptor, a major impediment to the clinical application of this technology to date has been limited in vivo expansion of CAR+ T cells, rapid disappearance of the cells after infusion, and disappointing clinical activity.

Thus, there is an urgent need in the art for compositions and methods for treatment of cancer using CARs that can expand in vivo. The present invention addresses this need.