Cellectis said that it has dosed the first patient in a phase 1  study – the MELANI-01 clinical trial to evaluate UCARTCS1, an allogeneic off-the-shelf CAR-T product candidate for the treatment of relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (R/R MM).

The French gene therapy company began the phase 1 dose-escalation study after getting clearance from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to advance the CAR-T product candidate into clinical development for the type of blood cancer.

Based in Paris, Cellectis is engaged in developing immunotherapies based on gene-edited off-the-shelf CAR T-cells (UCART).

The French biopharma company said that the MELANI-01 clinical trial will assess the safety, expansion, persistence and clinical activity of UCARTCS1 cells in relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma.

Dr. André Choulika – Chairman and CEO of Cellectis said: “This first patient dosing for our MELANI-01 clinical trial is an important advancement, as our team has worked tirelessly to develop and take the CS1 target from the lab to the clinic.

“In taking this next clinical step, we look forward to deepening our understanding of UCARTCS1 as a potential new treatment option for relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma patients in the future.”

According to Cellectis, the MELANI-01 clinical trial is open currently at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas and also at Hackensack Meridian in New Jersey. Another site for the MELANI-01 clinical trial is planned to open at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York.

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  Blood Cancer, Cellectis, Dr. André Choulika, France, gene therapy, Gene therapy company, Multiple myeloma, Paris, UCARTCS1, US Food and Drug Administration, USA