By Sam Boughedda
Investing.com -- Biopharmaceutical company Nkarta Inc (NASDAQ:NKTX) surged Monday after it reported positive preliminary Phase 1 data from independent dose-finding studies.
The studies were for its two lead chimeric [with cells with different genes] antigen receptor natural killer cell therapy candidates, NKX101 and NKX019.
The company said for NKX101, three out of five patients with relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia (AML) treated with a three-dose regimen achieved a complete response with full hematologic recovery.
Meanwhile, for NKX019, five out of six patients with relapsed or refractory non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) treated with a three-dose regimen achieved a response, and three out of six achieved a complete response.
“We’re excited to see our CAR NK co-lead candidates, NKX101 and NKX019, show such striking early single-agent activity in heavily pretreated patient populations, with an exceptional safety profile without the side effects associated with CAR T cell therapies,” said Paul Hastings, President, and CEO of Nkarta.
“These encouraging data across multiple indications further validate Nkarta’s best-in-class NK cell platform, as we seek to transform cancer treatment," Hastings added.
Nkarta stock is currently up 93%.