Technology
Novel immunotherapy platform.
Off-the-shelf delivery.
A bold vision to transcend the current limitations and enter new frontiers of cell therapy.
We're breaking new ground as the most clinically advanced allogeneic T-cell company harnessing the power of our Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) T-cell platform to develop therapies that can be rapidly delivered to patients within days.
Our platform begins with donor-derived EBV T Cells.
More than 95% of adults over 40 are infected with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV).
More than 95% of adults over 40 are infected with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV).
Most people fight-off EBV infection with a natural immune response, leaving them with T cells—white blood cells in the immune system armory—that control EBV when needed. These natural T cells can serve as an ideal platform to generate allogeneic CAR T cells without modification of the endogenous T-cell receptor (TCR) or major histocompatibility complex (MHC).
Atara's platform is based on allogeneic, or donor-derived, T cells that are enriched through our manufacturing process with specific receptors that target EBV.
Atara collects immune cells from healthy donors and then activates, clonally expands, and enriches for T cells with a narrow TCR repertoire and known EBV TCR specificity by using our unique production and manufacturing process. Our EBV T-cells do not require TCR or MHC gene editing which allows them to retain the natural attributes associated with an intact TCR. By preferentially enriching for T cells that recognize defined viral antigens along with partial HLA matching, the likelihood of off-target binding and host rejection of cells is greatly reduced while mediating cytotoxicity through the CAR via target antigen binding.
Want to learn more about how we manufacture allogeneic EBV T cells? Manufacturing
Want to learn more about how we manufacture allogeneic EBV T cells? Manufacturing
We’re focused on applying EBV T-cell biology to next-generation CAR technologies to target cancer and autoimmune diseases.
We’re focused on applying EBV T-cell biology to next-generation CAR technologies to target cancer and autoimmune diseases.
EBV T cells can be modified with a CAR to create allogeneic CAR T-cell therapies for a broad range of antigen targets. Our molecular toolkit of clinically-validated technologies—including the 1XX costimulatory domain designed for optimal physiological signaling leading to less exhaustion while maintaining a memory phenotype—offers a differentiated approach to addressing significant unmet need with a next-generation CAR T. More About CAR T
Atara’s allogeneic, or donor-derived, investigational T-cell therapies have the potential to be produced in large quantities from each donor and stored in advance of patient need, ready for delivery within days as an off-the-shelf treatment.
Here's what makes our platform different.
Atara has treated more patients in clinical trials than any other allogeneic T-cell company to date.
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No gene editing
Our novel platform does not require T-cell receptor gene editing.
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Off-the-shelf approach
Allogeneic T-cell therapies readily available for rapid delivery within days.
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Scalable manufacturing
Efficient, robust process with the ability to produce over a thousand doses from one healthy donor.
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Versatile platform
Potential for multiple therapeutic applications for a wide range of disease-causing viral and nonviral targets.
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Tolerability
Targeting diseased cells with a low likelihood of harming healthy tissues.
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Persistence
Ability to remain in the body long enough to fight disease.
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Trafficking
Capable of traveling to the site of disease.
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Optimal T-cell type
Central memory cell type may persist longer, enabling rapid expansion and durable response.
See our technology in action.
Watch the video below to learn our process of developing living medicines: from collecting donor cells to manufacturing EBV T cells and CAR T cells, and everything in between.
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Flexible delivery. Biologics-like costs.
We have advanced, in-house process science and scale-up technology which enables a highly efficient manufacturing approach and distribution process and is designed to rapidly deliver product and enable a reliable, biologics-like cost of goods for patients. Cryogenic storage provides extensive shelf life for T cells and optimizes inventory management.
Our Thousand Oaks-based, 34,700 square-foot Atara Research Center (ARC) facility houses Atara’s preclinical, translational sciences, manufacturing process sciences, and analytical development teams. Our talented technical operations team manages manufacturing technology and external manufacturing, quality, logistics, and supply.
Through our leading-edge ARC research and development facility in Southern California; Fitzsimons Process Development facility in Denver, Colorado; and Contract Manufacturing Organization (CMO) partners, we’re committed to continually innovating T-cell research capabilities and manufacturing technologies across the US.
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Big vision. Bigger impact.
At Atara, our mission is to transform the lives of patients with serious diseases. We're targeting difficult-to-treat conditions with high unmet need to provide patients with potential new treatment options.
Cancer
We're developing investigative therapies for EBV+ post-transplant lymphoproliferative disease (PTLD) and other hematological malignancies like non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
Autoimmune diseases
We're expanding our allogeneic CAR T programs into autoimmune diseases, starting with lupus nephritis. It is our goal to potentially eliminate or reduce lymphodepletion.
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Clinical Studies Pipeline
Our innovations are made possible by patients.
The patients and investigators who participate in our clinical studies are essential to how we develop new therapies. Learn more about our ongoing studies.
Explore our pipeline.
Our robust late-stage pipeline features a host of potentially transformative, investigational T-cell immunotherapies for cancer and autoimmune diseases.
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