Atara Bio’s Collaborating Investigators to Present Clinical Data on EBV-CTL at 2016 American Transplant Congress

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., May 09, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Atara Biotherapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq:ATRA), a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing meaningful therapies for patients with severe and life-threatening diseases that have been underserved by scientific innovation, today announced that an oral presentation, entitled “Banked EBV-Specific T-Cells for Treatment of Rituximab Refractory EBV+ B-Cell Lymphoma in Solid Organ Transplantation Recipients,” will be delivered by the Company’s collaborating investigators at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) during the 2016 American Transplant Congress (ATC), taking place in Boston, MA, June 11-15, 2016. The presentation summarizes clinical experience with the Company’s allogeneic Epstein-Barr virus cytotoxic T-Lymphocyte (EBV-CTL) product candidate for the treatment of patients with rituximab refractory EBV Post-Transplant Lymphoproliferative Disorder (EBV-PTLD) after solid organ transplant (SOT).

To obtain the full text of the abstract, please visit the 2016 ATC website link here. Additional details of the presentation are as follows:

Date & Time: Monday, June 13th, 2016; 5:06 pm Eastern Time
Session Title: Concurrent Session:  Late Breaking
Location: Room 210, John B. Hynes Convention Center, Boston, MA
Presenter: Dr. Susan Prockop

About EBV-CTL

T-cells are a critical component of the body's immune system and can be harnessed to counteract viral infections and some cancers. By focusing the T-cells on specific proteins involved in cancers and infections, the power of the immune system can be employed to combat these diseases. Atara's EBV-CTL utilizes a technology in which T-cells are collected from the blood of third-party donors and then exposed to EBV antigens. The resulting activated T-cells are then expanded, characterized, and stored for future therapeutic use in an appropriate partially human leukocyte antigen, or HLA, matched patient, providing an "off-the-shelf", allogeneic, cellular therapeutic option for patients.  In the context of EBV-PTLD, Atara's EBV-CTL finds the cancer cells expressing EBV and kills them. Phase 2 clinical results from trials conducted at MSK have been reported in multiple peer-reviewed forums.

About Atara Biotherapeutics, Inc.

Atara Biotherapeutics, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing meaningful therapies for patients with severe and life-threatening diseases that have been underserved by scientific innovation, with an initial focus on immunotherapy and oncology. Atara Bio’s programs include T cell product candidates and molecularly targeted product candidates. The T cell product candidates include EBV-CTL, CMV-CTL and WT1-CTL and harness the power of the immune system to recognize and attack cancer cells and cells infected with certain viruses. The molecularly targeted product candidates include STM 434. These product candidates target activin and myostatin, members of the TGF-beta family of proteins, and have demonstrated the potential to have therapeutic benefit in a number of clinical indications.

INVESTOR & MEDIA CONTACT:

Investors:
Steve Klass
212-213-0006 x331
sklass@burnsmc.com

Media:
Justin Jackson
212-213-0006 x327
jjackson@burnsmc.com

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Source: Atara Biotherapeutics, Inc.