Bio corporation CHA Biotech is working to secure mass production technology essential for the development and commercialization of CAR-NK therapies that meet global standards.
CAR-NK cell therapy is a next-generation immuno-oncology treatment that combines natural killer (NK) cells with a "chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)" that recognizes cancer cells.
CHA Biotech announced on the 29th that it signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Miltenyi Biotec Korea to cooperate in the development of an automated mass production process for allogeneic CAR-NK cells.
Miltenyi Biotec is a global corporation that has accumulated over 30 years of expertise and know-how in cell therapy production technology. Through this agreement, CHA Biotech is expected to receive support in specialized equipment, technology platforms, and consulting from Miltenyi Biotec.
CHA Biotech stated that it plans to establish standardized automated processes that encompass the entire production process, including gene introduction for CAR-NK cell manufacturing, cell culture, purification, and freezing, to accelerate the production of high-quality CAR-NK cell therapies and research on next-generation immune cell therapies.
CAR-NK can be mass-produced using healthy individuals' NK cells. The company explained that the therapy is expected to have much greater accessibility than CAR-T, which has complex and costly individual production procedures.
CHA Biotech aims to lead the development of immune cell therapies based on a full-cycle research and development system that combines the rich clinical experience of CHA Hospital and the basic research capabilities of CHA Medical Research Institute. The company is currently expanding clinical studies for autologous NK cell therapies targeting solid cancers such as liver cancer, glioblastoma, and cholangiocarcinoma, utilizing its own developed NK cell culture technology. It has also established foundational technology for next-generation CAR-NK cell therapy that enhances anti-cancer treatment effects by introducing CAR genes.
Woo Tae-wook, the branch director of Miltenyi Biotec Korea, noted, "The combination of CHA Biotech's research capacity in cell therapies and our automated and standardized technology support will create synergies in the development and commercialization process of CHA Biotech's CAR-NK cell therapies."
Nam Soo-yeon, the head of R&D at CHA Biotech, said, "We will contribute to providing innovative treatments to cancer patients more quickly by elevating the manufacturing and production capabilities of CAR-NK cell therapies to the next level."