Atara Biotherapeutics - Most Valuable Corporate Response

Company: Atara Biotherapeutics, Thousand Oaks, CA
Company Description: Atara Biotherapeutics, Inc. is a pioneer in T-cell immunotherapy leveraging its novel allogeneic EBV T-cell platform to develop transformative therapies for patients with serious diseases including solid tumors, hematologic cancers and autoimmune disease.
Nomination Category: COVID-19 Response Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Most Valuable Corporate Response

Nomination Title: LEADING THROUGH UNCERTAINTY: TRANSFORMING, ADVANCING, AND ADAPTING DURING THE “NEW NORMAL”

The COVID-19 pandemic presented truly uncharted territory worldwide, and the ensuing scramble to find a sense of stability was an insurmountable effort for employers and staff alike. As cases increased, many companies abruptly closed, sending millions of employees into unemployment.

However, Atara Biotherapeutics began immediately developing the necessary safety precautions for our staff to succeed even in a time of uncertainty. With these safeguards in place, Atara has ensured business continuity by supporting the health, safety, and engagement of our staff, as we continue to advance commercialization preparations for our investigative therapies and continued development of Atara’s program portfolio.

For a small biotech organization with less than 500 employees, Atara has been an industry leader in navigating the otherwise unparalleled pandemic. With community rates reaching as a high as 20% positivity, Atara has maintained less than 4% with no cases of linked infection. To ensure staff safety and mitigate business disruption, the Atara COVID-19 Team (ACT), a dedicated and multi-disciplinary cohort of employees, was formed.

The program we developed focuses on many approaches to risk reduction, firstly reducing on-site presence and implementing remote work for nonessential personnel. Secondly, we established engineering controls and business processes to reduce on-site transmission. Super-spreader events were eliminated, and physical distancing provided further reduction. Our staff was provided enhanced cleaning, hygiene, and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). Onsite testing created a monitoring program of core staff. Finally, we designed and executed rapid and transparent communication and educational strategies to ensure dispersion of relevant scientific data at local, regional, and national levels.

This four-tiered approach has enabled Atara to continue developing, manufacturing, testing, and shipping our investigational therapies to clinical trials while preparing for commercial approval.As a testament to our success, the overall COVID-19 infection rates since March have been at least 50% lower than the surrounding communities without any significant interruptions to business operations.

Atara has authored a white paper detailing the company’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic entitled “Leading Through Uncertainty: Transforming, Advancing, and Adapting During the ‘New Normal.’”