CHA Biotech said on the 28th it will partner with German cell and gene therapy (CGT) corporations Miltenyi Biotec to develop a CAR-NK therapy.
A CAR-NK cell therapy is a next-generation immuno-oncology drug that combines a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR), which recognizes cancer cells, with natural killer (NK) cells. Unlike chimeric antigen receptor T cells (CAR-T), which use a patient's own cells, it uses donor NK cells, enabling mass production and reducing manufacturing processes and expense.
Miltenyi Biotec will supply lentiviral vectors needed for CAR-NK development. In particular, it has a BaEV (baboon envelope)-based platform that increases gene-delivery efficiency and lowers manufacturing cost compared with existing methods. The technology targets specific receptors on NK cells to boost gene-insertion efficiency and reduces vector usage to improve production efficiency and scalability.
CHA Biotech plans to use the vectors to develop the CAR-NK cancer therapy "CHACAR-NK-201." Based on its own NK cell culture technology, the company is conducting clinical trials of an autologous NK cell therapy for solid tumors such as liver cancer, glioblastoma, and triple-negative breast cancer, and is pushing to expand into a CAR-NK pipeline.
The two corporations previously collaborated on developing mass-production and automated processes for allogeneic CAR-NK cells. They said this laid the groundwork to standardize manufacturing processes for immune cell therapies that meet global standards.
Boris Stoffel, CEO of Miltenyi Biotec, said, "CHA Biotech's research and development capabilities and our lentiviral vector technology will create synergy," adding, "We expect advances in CAR-NK therapy development and manufacturing-process improvements."
Nam Su-yeon, head of R&D at CHA Biotech, said, "We are developing a CAR-NK therapy for the global market," and added, "Through cooperation with Miltenyi Biotec, we will build a manufacturing platform that delivers productivity and stability."