iNK & CAR-iNK Cells
(iPSC-Derived NK & CAR-NK Cells)
Cytovia Therapeutics aims to design the next generation of NK Cell Therapy Products through our platform of Unedited, Gene-Edited, and CAR-iNK cells.
Our focus is on the differentiation and expansion of NK cells from Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (iPSCs) and the optimization of their design and performance through gene-editing (using custom-edited TALEN technology through our Cellectis partnership) and CAR (Chimeric Antigen Receptor) insertion. These technologies maximize the precision and physical and functional persistence of NK cells, thereby improving their clinical efficacy and safety.
The Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) is an artificially modified fusion protein that consists of an extracellular antigen recognition domain fused to an intracellular signaling domain. Through the selection of appropriate target antigens, these receptors can help guide NK cells to their targets. NK cells genetically modified with a CAR have demonstrated initial clinical success in the treatment of hematological cancers.
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NK Cell Therapy has the same potent effector machinery as T-cell Therapy but does not cause Graft Vs Host Disease (GVHD) or Cytokine Release Syndrome (CRS) (observed with T-cell and CAR T-cell therapy).
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Allogeneic iNK cells are safe off-the-shelf products and can potentially be administered in an outpatient setting.
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Learn More About Our CAR Gene-Targeting
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About Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells:
2012 Medicine Nobel Prize Professor Shinya Yamanaka (Kyoto University) discovered Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (iPSCs), demonstrating that mature adult cells can be transformed into stem cells.
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A single clone can produce a master cell bank allowing for thousands of consistent doses per batch, significantly more cost-effective than autologous or even other allogeneic cell therapy, especially for gene-edited cell therapy products.
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iPSC-derived NK and CAR-NK cells allow for easier gene-editing towards precision and persistency enhancement. This is a significant advantage when sophisticated multifaceted gene-editing is desired to address some of the major challenges in the oncology field, such as tumor microenvironment.
