Atara Biotherapeutics (Nasdaq:ATRA) is a leading off-the-shelf, allogeneic T-cell immunotherapy company developing novel treatments for patients with cancer, autoimmune and viral diseases. The company was founded in 2012 and named after Atara Ciechanover who suffered from cancer before passing away.
Originating from over a decade of groundbreaking clinical experience at Memorial Sloan Kettering and QIMR Berghofer, Atara’s off-the-shelf, allogeneic T cells are bioengineered from donors with healthy immune function and allow for rapid delivery from inventory to patients. Atara’s T-cell immunotherapies are designed to precisely recognize and target cancerous or diseased cells without affecting normal, healthy cells.
Atara’s T-cell immunotherapy in development, tabelecleucel, or tab-cel® (formerly known as ATA129), is being developed for the treatment of patients with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) associated post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder (EBV+ PTLD), as well as other EBV associated hematologic and solid tumors, including nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC).
Tab-cel® is in Phase 3 clinical development for the treatment of patients with EBV+ PTLD following an allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant (MATCH study) or solid organ transplant (ALLELE study) who have failed rituximab, and a Phase 1/2 study of tab-cel® in combination with Merck’s anti-PD-1 (programmed death receptor-1) therapy, KEYTRUDA® (pembrolizumab), in patients with platinum-resistant or recurrent EBV associated NPC is planned for 2018. Tab-cel® is also available to eligible patients with EBV associated hematologic and solid tumors through expanded access.
Atara is also developing off-the-shelf, allogeneic ATA188 and autologous ATA190 T-cell immunotherapies using a complementary targeted antigen recognition technology for specific EBV antigens believed to be important for the potential treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS). A Phase 1 clinical study of autologous ATA190 in patients with progressive MS is ongoing. Atara is advancing an ongoing Phase 1 off-the-shelf, allogeneic ATA188 study in patients with progressive MS across clinical sites in the U.S. and Australia and plans to initiate a randomized autologous ATA190 study in progressive MS patients.
In addition to our core programs, Atara’s clinical pipeline also includes next-generation chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR T) immunotherapies for cancer as well as targets in other therapeutic areas such as ATA520 targeting Wilms Tumor 1 (WT1) and ATA230 directed against cytomegalovirus (CMV).
