KEYNOTE 3 – The era of cell and gene therapies in oncology – Fiction, poetry or science?

Linked to EAHP Statements

Section 1 – Introductory Statements and Governance: Statement 1.2, 1.6, 1.7
Section 2 – Selection, Procurement and Distribution: Statement 2.1, 2.3, 2.6
Section 3 – Production and Compounding: Statement 3.2, 3.4, 3.5
Section 5 – Patient Safety and Quality Assurance: Statement 5.1, 5.6
Section 6 – Education and Research: Statement 6.5

ACPE UAN: 0475-0000-22-003-L04-P. A knowledge based activity.

Abstract

Personalised medicine, also known as precision medicine or individualised medicine increasingly involves molecular diagnostics, predictive (proactive) genetic testing, pharmacogenomics, and in-depth immuno-profiling. In immuno-oncology, multiple approaches of cell and gene therapy are on the threshold. i) genetically modified organisms (GMO) e.g. oncolytic viruses (OVs) as a platform technology to induce systemic immune responses against cancer; ii) mRNA-techniques to target neoepitopes which have to be identified through IT-based diagnostics of the patient´s tumor genome for development of patient individualized tumor vaccines; iii) cell-based therapies with the therapeutic use of adoptive cell therapy (ACT) including ACT of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL), ACT with T cell receptor (TCR) gene therapy and ACT with chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cells. These very heterogenic concepts also have a very suitable option for combination approaches among each other. They are subject of ongoing scientific efforts ultimately aiming for long-term therapeutic responses and broadening use for different tumor types.

In this keynote lecture the principles of the different techniques are explained as well as the potential but also the limitations so hospital pharmacist can assess the opportunities and challenges brought by gene and cell therapy. 

Learning objectives
After the keynote, participants should be able to:

• Identify potential and limits of methodologies used in oncologic gene and cell therapy
• Recognise the principles of OVs, mRNA-techniques and ACT
• Assess opportunities and challenges for hospital pharmacy arising from those gene and cell therapy approaches

Educational need addressed
Websites of pharmaceutical multinational researching enterprises reveal pipelines richly filled with products from cell and gene theranostic. Yet, it is still hardly feasible to derive a reliable foresight on upcoming new therapies and challenges as related to how hospital pharmacists can contribute to added values in cell and gene therapies. As a professional, each hospital pharmacist needs to be properly educated and fully equipped to actively support relevant trends of new therapeutic approaches.

Keywords: Genetically modified organisms, oncolytic virus therapy, patient individualized tumor vaccination, adoptive cell therapy, gene therapy, immuno-oncology.