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What is a Virus-Specific
T cell (VST)?
VSTs are highly specialized T cells
produced specifically in response
to a viral infection. These cells have
the ability to recognize and kill
infected cells while activating other
parts of the immune system for a
coordinated response. VSTs persist
in the body and activate a rapid
immune response if the virus is
encountered again.
Andrew Khoo; Chief Executive Officer & Co-founder
Andrew Khoo Co-founded Tessa, along with Dr. Malcolm
Brenner and Mr. Francis Chua, and has been the CEO of Tessa since.
An active investor in healthcare and technology-focused start-ups; Mr.
Khoo is also a Director of other leading biotechnology companies such
as Vyriad and Enleofen Bio. Prior to founding Tessa, Mr. Khoo worked
in various roles at global banks including JP Morgan and Citigroup. He
began his career at the Singapore Economic Development Board. Mr.
Khoo holds a B.S. in Chemistry from Stanford University.
Properties of VSTs
• Clinical Benefit
Complete and partial responses
observed in several solid tumor
indications, including advanced
nasopharyngeal cancer, cervical
cancer, and neuroblastoma
• Safety Profile
Hundreds of patients infused
across a variety of settings – VSTs
as a single agent, with genetic
modifications (including CARs),
or as allogeneic therapy – with no
cytokine release syndrome (CRS)
or central nervous system (CNS)
Toxicity. Only grade 1 & 2 toxicities
observed.
• Persistence
Complete responses ongoing at
20 months (cervical cancer). VSTs
have been observed to persist
over 8 years post-fusion 5 and 29
months (EBV+ lymph proliferative
disease).
T-Cell Therapy Treatment:
How Does it Work?
Step 1: Blood Collection
The patient’s blood is collected at
the hospital site.
Step 2: Transportation &
Handling
The collected blood is transported
to Tessa’s central production
facility or satellite labs.
Step 3: VST Initiation &
Expansion
The patient’s white blood cells are
isolated and the virus-specific T
(VST) cell population is selectively
activated & expanded.
Step 4: Chemotherapy
Coinciding with the VST production
period, the patient receives
chemotherapy.
Step 5: Infusion & Monitoring
Tessa ships the patient’s VSTs
to the hospital site, where
the investigational therapy is
intravenously infused in the patient
and carefully monitored for any
adverse reactions.
Target Indications Include:
•
•
•
Nasopharyngeal Cancer
Cervical Cancer
Oropharyngeal Cancer
How is our VST platform
widely applicable?
The solid safety profile of VSTs
enables our platform to be
combined with a wide range
of next-generation therapies,
broadening the cancer range
and enhancing the scalability
of our treatments.
Allogeneic Therapy
Using Tessa’s VST
Platform
Allogeneic VSTs are generated
from healthy donors’ cells
to provide an off-the-shelf
treatment option to patients.
Due to the viral specificity
of their TCRs, VSTs do not
require TCR or HLA gene
editing to ensure a low risk of
graft-versus-host disease.
SR
DECEMBER 2019
27