Poolbeg Pharma (POLB ) will see its POLB 001 TOPICAL trial play a central role in a new research programme investigating cancer immunotherapy-induced cytokine release syndrome (CRS), with the company acting as lead business partner alongside Johnson & Johnson and other collaborators.
The RISE (Reducing Immune Stress from Excess cytokine release in advanced therapies) programme is led by The University of Manchester and The Christie NHS Foundation Trust and is supported by a £3.4 million Prosperity Partnership grant from the Medical Research Council (MRC). It is designed to facilitate wider research into cancer immunotherapy-induced CRS and, in turn, the safer delivery of these advanced treatments.
Central to RISE will be the previously announced POLB 001 TOPICAL trial, for which Johnson & Johnson will provide the approved bispecific antibody, teclistamab. Importantly, the RISE collaboration will not affect the delivery of data from the POLB 001 clinical trial, which remains anticipated in summer 2026, and Poolbeg’s participation will not impact the company’s cash runway into 2027.
The new programme includes the collection of clinical data from patients treated with bispecific antibodies and CAR T-cell therapies, alongside further research beyond the TOPICAL trial into the potential of POLB 001 to prevent cancer immunotherapy-induced CRS. As a result, the work underscores growing recognition that managing CRS and other serious adverse effects is a key bottleneck to broader availability and uptake of breakthrough cancer immunotherapies.
The RISE programme will be under the leadership of Dr Jonathan Lim, Clinical Senior Lecturer and Honorary Consultant Medical Oncologist in Advanced Immunotherapy and Cell Therapy, and will be conducted at The University of Manchester and The Christie.
Poolbeg Pharma’s Chief Executive Officer Jeremy Skillington, PhD said: “Advanced immunotherapies are the future of cancer treatment but can come with some severe adverse effects, such as CRS. This programme will deepen the understanding of CRS and could be beneficial for POLB 001, as we seek to bring its potential benefits to patients. Poolbeg is delighted to be working alongside The University of Manchester, The Christie, Johnson & Johnson and other leading partners, who are focussed on finding a solution for CRS. The Christie has an ambition to position the UK as a global leader in research focused on the safe delivery of cancer immunotherapies and we are very proud that POLB 001 can play a key part in this."
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Poolbeg’s inclusion as lead business partner in RISE places POLB 001 at the centre of a major UK effort to address one of the biggest safety constraints in advanced cancer immunotherapies. While trial timelines and cash runway remain unchanged, the additional real-world data, academic partnerships and visibility around CRS could strengthen the strategic value of POLB 001 if forthcoming clinical results are supportive.