Mustang Bio () is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company founded in 2015 and headquartered in Worcester, MA, U.S. Operating as a partner company of Fortress Biotech, Mustang Bio develops

CAR-T In biology, chimeric antigen receptors (CARs)—also known as chimeric immunoreceptors, chimeric T cell receptors or artificial T cell receptors—are receptor proteins that have been engineered to give T cells the new ability to target a specific ...

immunotherapies Immunotherapy or biological therapy is the treatment of disease by activating or suppressing the immune system. Immunotherapies designed to elicit or amplify an immune response are classified as ''activation immunotherapies,'' while immunotherap ...

and gene therapies for multiple diseases, including hematologic cancers,

solid tumors A neoplasm () is a type of abnormal and excessive growth of tissue. The process that occurs to form or produce a neoplasm is called neoplasia. The growth of a neoplasm is uncoordinated with that of the normal surrounding tissue, and persists ...

, and X-linked severe combined immunodeficiency (X-SCID).

History

Mustang Bio was founded in 2015 and in the same year became a partner company of Fortress Biotech. In April 2017, Manuel Litchman took over as

CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...

of Mustang Bio, and in October of the same year, the company signed a lease with the University of Massachusetts Medicine Science Park in Worcester, MA, for a manufacturing facility to support the clinical development and commercialization of

products for

glioblastoma Glioblastoma, previously known as glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), is one of the most aggressive types of cancer that begin within the brain. Initially, signs and symptoms of glioblastoma are nonspecific. They may include headaches, personality ch ...

and acute myeloid leukemia. Until 2018, the company's studies focused mainly on cancer-fighting therapies and cell therapies. After licensing a

gene therapy Gene therapy is a medical field which focuses on the genetic modification of cells to produce a therapeutic effect or the treatment of disease by repairing or reconstructing defective genetic material. The first attempt at modifying human DN ...

for

X-SCID X-linked severe combined immunodeficiency (X-SCID) is an immunodeficiency disorder in which the body produces very few T cells and NK cells. In the absence of T cell help, B cells become defective. It is an X-linked recessive inheritance trait, s ...

from St Jude Children's Research Hospital, Mustang Bio expanded its efforts to

immunodeficiency Immunodeficiency, also known as immunocompromisation, is a state in which the immune system's ability to fight infectious diseases and cancer is compromised or entirely absent. Most cases are acquired ("secondary") due to extrinsic factors that a ...

treatments. In April 2019, it was announced that the gene therapy developed by St. Jude's showed positive results in a trial involving eight infants suffering from

. Mustang Bio expects to fully take over the trial from

St Jude Jude ( grc-gre, Ἰούδας Ἰακώβου translit. Ioúdas Iakóbou) was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus according to the New Testament. He is generally identified as Thaddeus ( grc-gre, Θαδδαῖος; cop, ⲑⲁⲇⲇⲉⲟⲥ; ...

by 2020. In May 2019, Mustang Bio raised $32 million in an underwritten public offering to fund its continued development of products for the treatment of blood cancers,

, and rare genetic diseases.

Therapies and treatments

Alongside the

therapy developed in partnership with

(MB-107), Mustang Bio is conducting research and trials on CAR-T therapies for several diseases, including

(MB-101, partnered with City of Hope National Medical Center), acute myeloid leukemia (MB-102, partnered with City of Hope National Medical Center), and

non-Hodgkin lymphoma Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), also known as non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, is a group of blood cancers that includes all types of lymphomas except Hodgkin lymphomas. Symptoms include enlarged lymph nodes, fever, night sweats, weight loss, and tiredness. ...

and

chronic lymphocytic leukemia Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is a type of cancer in which the bone marrow makes too many lymphocytes (a type of white blood cell). Early on, there are typically no symptoms. Later, non-painful lymph node swelling, feeling tired, fever, nigh ...

(MB-106, with Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center). In May 2019, an

oncolytic virus An oncolytic virus is a virus that preferentially infects and kills cancer cells. As the infected cancer cells are destroyed by lysis#Oncolysis, oncolysis, they release new infectious virus particles or virus, virions to help destroy the remaining ...

licensed from Nationwide Children's Hospital for the treatment of

malignant glioma A glioma is a type of tumor that starts in the glial cells of the brain or the spine. Gliomas comprise about 30 percent of all brain tumors and central nervous system tumours, and 80 percent of all malignant brain tumours. Signs and symptoms S ...

(MB-108) was granted

Orphan Drug status An orphan drug is a pharmaceutical agent developed to treat medical conditions which, because they are so rare, would not be profitable to produce without government assistance. The conditions are referred to as orphan diseases. The assignment o ...

by the

Food and Drug Administration The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA or US FDA) is a List of United States federal agencies, federal agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Health and Human Services. The FDA is respon ...

. Also in May 2019, the company began recruiting patients for a trial at City of Hope for the treatment of patients with

multiple myeloma Multiple myeloma (MM), also known as plasma cell myeloma and simply myeloma, is a cancer of plasma cells, a type of white blood cell that normally produces antibodies. Often, no symptoms are noticed initially. As it progresses, bone pain, an ...

(MB-104). In August 2019, Mustang Bio entered into a license agreement with CSL Behring for the Cytegrity stable producer cell line.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mustang Bio Companies based in Massachusetts Pharmaceutical companies established in 2015 2015 establishments in Massachusetts Biopharmaceutical companies