Preclinical Models Of Immune Oncology For CART-Cell Therapeutics Development

In 2021, the American Cancer Society (ACS) reported a staggering 1.9 million new cancer diagnoses and 608,570 cancer-related deaths within the United States, underscoring the persistent and critical challenge that cancer poses to public health. The therapeutic landscape for cancer remains complex, with mainstream anticancer drugs, encompassing both traditional chemotherapeutics and more contemporary targeted agents, often falling short of complete cures and frequently associated with debilitating and undesirable side effects that significantly impact patients' quality of life. Encouragingly, recent advancements have led to the approval of innovative therapeutic modalities, including novel small molecule inhibitors directed at specific oncogenes, sophisticated antibody-based therapies, genetically engineered Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T cell therapeutics, and potent antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) designed to precisely target host immune response molecules involved in tumor progression.

Looking ahead, the field continues to prioritize the development of even more refined and selective anticancer drugs. These future therapies aim to overcome the growing challenge of drug resistance and minimize off-target toxicities, thereby improving patient outcomes. This crucial endeavor relies heavily on rigorous preclinical Investigational New Drug (IND)-enabling studies followed by comprehensive clinical trials to validate their safety and efficacy. Consequently, there is an urgent and unmet need for the development and application of effective and clinically relevant IND-enabling preclinical oncology models that can accurately predict drug behavior in humans and accelerate the translation of promising new therapies to the clinic.

This white paper delves into a series of preclinical IND-enabling oncology case studies conducted by the dedicated scientists at Aragen over the past decade, highlighting the critical role of robust preclinical models in advancing the fight against cancer.