CAR-T therapy could be effective cancer treatment, study suggests
CAR-T therapy could be an effective treatment for leukaemia, preclinical data published by biotechnology company Gyala Therapeutics suggests.
The data emerged from a study highlighting the use of CAR-T therapy, GYA01, to treat acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) and T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (T-ALL). The study is the first to show preclinical data of CAR-T cells targeting the CD84 protein, validating GYA01 as a promising therapy for AML and T-ALL and positioning CD84 as a novel target with broad potential across haematological cancers.
The study confirms CD84 is consistently overexpressed in AML and T-ALL, including high-risk subtypes such as TP53-mutated or MECOM-rearranged AML. CD84 is also highly expressed in chronic lymphocytic leukaemia and aggressive B-cell lymphomas, with limited expression in healthy tissues, making it a compelling target beyond the B-cell malignancies where CAR-Ts are currently approved.
“The preclinical evidence confirms that GYA01 is a highly promising CAR-T therapy, supports CD84 as a pan-haematological target, and establishes a strong foundation for advancing to clinical trials,” said Dr. Nela Klein-Gonzalez, Chief Medical Officer of Gyala Therapeutics and lead author of the publication.
AML represents about 30% of adult leukaemia diagnoses, with approximately 145,000 new cases annually worldwide. While chemotherapy induces remission in many patients, nearly half relapse. Although T-ALL is rare, it accounts for 15% of paediatric ALL and up to 25% in adults. Children often respond well to chemotherapy but adult survival rate is only around 40%.
“Our next goal is to launch a clinical trial of GYA01 in AML patients at Hospital Clinic Barcelona and Hospital La Fe in Valencia, bringing this therapy to patients with aggressive leukaemia who lack alternatives,” Claudia Santos, PhD, CEO of Gyala Therapeutics, confirmed.
Gyala Therapeutics announced it had secured €3 million (£2.6 million) in financing from Invivo Partners, Nara Capital and CDTI Innovación to initiate the Phase I trial.