STAT+: A German biotech has big ambitions in cancer. Now it needs to get a medicine approved

Presidential sessions at top cancer meetings typically feature practice-changing clinical trials, detailed in front of thousands of global experts packed into rooms so cavernous they merit their own ZIP codes. But last year, at the most important European oncology conference, one slot was reserved for a presentation of early results from a German biotech’s study of just 16 patients. The primetime billing was no accident. The Phase 1 data, as oncologist Sapna Patel explained, showed that every one of the patients, all of whom had a rare eye cancer called uveal melanoma, saw their tumors shrink after receiving an experimental cell therapy — a remarkable, if preliminary, outcome. What was more, the data suggested that going after the therapy’s bull’s-eye might unlock the power of immunotherapy in other, more common cancers that had stubbornly rebuffed such efforts, like pancreatic and ovarian tumors. “This can be taken forward in other areas of oncology,” Patel told the conference. STAT+ Exclusive Story Already have an account? Log in This article is exclusive to STAT+ subscribers Unlock this article — plus daily coverage and analysis of the biotech sector — by subscribing to STAT+. Already have an account? Log in View All Plans To read the rest of this story subscribe to STAT+. Subscribe