Cell therapy company Chimeric Therapeutics (ASX:CHM) has announced an agreement with a US university for a new cell platform technology.
The exclusive option to license agreement with Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) is for a Clinically validated, Off the shelf, Robust, Enhanced Natural Killer (CORE-NK) cell platform.
Natural killer (NK) cells have innate safety features and the natural ability to target and destroy cancer cells through both indirect and direct mechanisms. The challenge with natural killer (NK) cells is that they are not naturally abundant or active enough to overcome cancer.
Dr David Wald, a leading expert in immuno-oncology at Case Western Reserve University, designed and developed the CORE-NK platform that enhances the natural anti-cancer properties of NK cells.
The CORE-NK platform utilises a foundation of healthy donor NK cells, activating and expanding them to establish an enhanced, off the shelf NK cell platform that can provide an abundant supply of highly active NK cells. Preclinical data on the CORE-NK platform was published in the prestigious family of Nature publications in 2019.
In May 2018, a phase 1 clinical trial was initiated at the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center to study the CORE-NK platform in patients with both solid tumours and blood cancers.
The trial was completed in June 2021 with clinical data expected in 2022.
Chimeric said it intends to begin a research collaboration with CWRU to further enhance and engineer the CORE-NK platform cells.
Three initial products will be developed using the next generation CORE-NK platform as a backbone leveraging Chimeric’s existing pipeline of chimeric antigen receptors (CARs).
"The CORE-NK platform is truly transformative for Chimeric. It provides us with a platform technology that triples our current portfolio by enabling us to accelerate the development of multiple new, off the shelf, NK cell assets that work in perfect synergy with our existing pipeline. We could not be more excited to be bringing the CORE-NK platform into our portfolio and to be working in collaboration with Dr Wald and the expert team at CWRU. Their clinical trial experience with the CORE-NK platform and their expertise in the development of NK cells will catapult our development forward.” said Jennifer Chow, CEO of Chimeric Therapeutics.