ATA188’s Potential in Progressive MS: Jakob Dupont, MD, MA

“We're actually seeing physical improvement in these patients with progressive MS, which is unheard of in this patient population. By definition, progressive MS... gets worse and worse over time. So, moving the clock back and seeing physical improvement, as we are in our early clinical experience, is quite notable.”

Part 2 of a study evaluating the safety/tolerability, product kinetics and biological and clinical effect of ATA188 (NCT03283826) in adults with progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) is now underway.

The design of part 2 of the phase 1, multicenter double-blind, placebo-controlled study was presented at the Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ACTRIMS) Forum 2021, February 25-27, by Amit Bar-Or, MD, FRCP, FAAN, FANA, professor and chief, MS Division, Perelman School of Medicine; director, Center for Neuroinflammation and Neurotherapeutics; staff neurologist, University of Pennsylvania; and research scientist, Children’s Hospital of Pennsylvania.

The study will evaluate end points including incidence of adverse events, change from baseline in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) immunoglobulin G index, change from baseline in clinical disability on expanded disability status scale, Timed 25-Foot Walk, and/or 9-hole peg test, ambulatory activity monitoring, cervical spinal cord volume and whole brain volume on magnetic resonance imaging, the number of gadolinium-enhancing and new or enlarging T2 lesions on brain MRI scans. Other exploratory endpoints include assessment of potential biomarkers such as oligoclonal bands in CSF, persistence of ATA188, and cytokine profiling in blood and CSF compartments.

NeurologyLive spoke with Jakob Dupont, MD, MA, head of global research and executive vice president, Atara Biotherapeutics, the company that is developing ATA188, to learn more about the potential of the investigational therapy to treat progressive MS. He also outlined the upcoming part 2 of the study.

For more coverage of ACTRIMS Forum 2021, click here.

REFERENCE

Bar-Or A, Gamelin L, Ye W, et al. Phase I, multicenter, two-part study of ATA188, an open-label, dose-escalation and double-blind, placebo-controlled dose-expansion study. Presented at ACTRIMS Annual Forum; February 25-27, 2021. Abstract P048.