Australian biotechnology company AdAlta (ASX:1AD) has expanded the clinical advisory board of its subsidiary AdCella as it prepares to advance a promising new CAR-T cell therapy for solid cancers into further development and clinical testing.
The company announced the appointment of two leading Australian clinicians, Professor Nick Pavlakis and Professor Mark Shackleton, whose expertise in oncology, immunology and cancer research is expected to guide the next phase of development for BZDS1901, a mesothelin-targeted CAR-T therapy designed to treat mesothelioma and other difficult-to-treat solid tumours.
According to AdAlta chief executive Tim Oldham, the new appointments deepen the advisory board’s capability across several critical disciplines, including clinical oncology, haematology, immunology and CAR-T therapies. The additional expertise is intended to support both the design of upcoming clinical trials and the broader strategy to safely and efficiently bring the therapy to patients with solid tumours.
The clinical advisory board will play a central role in shaping the Phase 1 trial design for BZDS1901 and advising on emerging treatment standards for mesothelioma. Members will also help identify new tumour types that may be targeted by the therapy and connect the program with leading global research centres and clinical investigators.
Professor Pavlakis, a senior staff specialist in medical oncology at Royal North Shore Hospital in Sydney, brings extensive experience in thoracic and gastrointestinal cancers, including mesothelioma. He has contributed to national lung cancer and mesothelioma treatment guidelines and has held leadership roles within the Thoracic Oncology Group of Australasia and the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer.
Professor Shackleton is director of oncology at the Alfred Care Group of Bayside Health and head of the Department of Cancer Medicine at Monash University. His clinical and research work spans precision oncology, immunotherapy and melanoma, and he was recognised as the Australian Science Minister’s Life Scientist of the Year in 2012.
With the new appointments, AdCella’s advisory board now spans five hospital systems that already administer commercial CAR-T treatments, positioning them as potential clinical trial sites for BZDS1901 in Australia.
The therapy represents a novel approach to treating solid tumours, which account for around 90 per cent of cancers but have historically proven difficult for cellular immunotherapies to target. BZDS1901 is designed to overcome tumour immune suppression by secreting its own immune checkpoint inhibitor while also offering a faster manufacturing process that avoids costly viral vectors. Early clinical work in China has already demonstrated encouraging responses in patients with advanced mesothelioma.
AdAlta is pursuing what it calls an East-to-West strategy through AdCella, combining cell therapy innovation emerging from Asia with Australia’s clinical and manufacturing capabilities to move promising treatments into regulated Western markets. The company aims to advance therapies through early clinical trials before partnering with larger pharmaceutical groups for later-stage development and commercialisation.