Sonoma Biotherapeutics to Present Preclinical Data from Novel Treg Cell Therapy for Rheumatoid Arthritis at American College of Rheumatology Convergence 2022

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. & SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sonoma Biotherapeutics, Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing engineered regulatory T cell (T_reg) therapies for autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, will be presenting key data at the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) Convergence 2022 Scientific Sessions highlighting preclinical data from the company’s autologous T_reg therapy for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The meeting takes place November 10^th–14^th, 2022 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia, PA.

“These results are exciting because they show that CAR T_regs specific for citrullinated proteins present in the inflamed joints of RA patients can be manufactured, are activated by antigen, and suppress the activity of effector T cells,” said Leonard Dragone, M.D., Ph.D., Chief Medical Officer of Sonoma Biotherapeutics. “Citrullinated proteins are neo-self-antigens that accumulate in autoimmune and inflammatory diseases and are known to lead to pathogenic autoantibodies in RA. We have capitalized on this biology to develop an autologous T_reg cell therapy that targets these proteins, with the aim to ameliorate inflammation and restore balance to the immune system. We are looking forward to sharing more about our approach at the upcoming meeting.”

Presentation Details:
Development of a Novel Regulatory T Cell-Based Therapy for Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis
Presenting Author: Anne-Renee van der Vuurst de Vries, Staff Scientist, Sonoma Biotherapeutics
Session Title: T Cell Biology and Targets in Autoimmune and Inflammatory Disease
Abstract Number: 2185
Session Time: 3:00PM-4:00PM EST
Date: Monday, November 14, 2022

“The results published in this abstract suggest that regulatory T cells engineered with antigen receptors specific for citrullinated proteins will activate and proliferate in response to antigens in the synovial fluid from RA patients, a potential first step in the path towards restoring immune tolerance in RA patients,” said Jonathan Graf, M.D., Professor of Medicine, Division of Rheumatology at the University of California, San Francisco, and an author on the abstract. “Because these engineered cells will be derived from the patients themselves, they will have the ability to expand in vivo and promote potentially life-long immune tolerance.”

About Sonoma Biotherapeutics

Sonoma Biotherapeutics is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing engineered regulatory T cell (T_reg) therapies to treat serious autoimmune and inflammatory diseases by restoring balance to the immune system. Founded by pioneers in T_reg biology and cell therapy, the company is employing proprietary platform technologies and approaches to develop a new generation of targeted and durable T_reg cell therapies. Sonoma Biotherapeutics is based in South San Francisco and Seattle. For more information visit sonomabio.com and follow on Twitter and LinkedIn.