VaxCell-Bio, a Korean immunotherapy developer, said Monday that it has signed a joint development agreement with Bio Design Lab to advance chimeric antigen receptor natural killer (CAR-NK) cell therapies for autoimmune diseases.
The new agreement follows a prior MOU with Bio Design Lab, Samsung Medical Center, and other organizations to research CAR-NK therapies.
Under the agreement, VaxCell-Bio will provide third-generation NK cells and manage the development of CAR-NK therapies, including research and clinical trials in compliance with GMP standards. Bio Design Lab will independently design and produce lentiviral vectors, a key technology for CAR-NK development.
While CAR-T therapies have been effective in treating cancer, concerns about side effects and high costs have fueled interest in CAR-NK therapies as a safer, potentially more affordable alternative.
According to Lim Kwang-il, co-founder and chief technology officer of Bio Design Lab, the new CAR-NK technology reduces mutation risks by improving lentiviral vector design, enhancing gene delivery safety and efficiency.
Professor Cho Deok of laboratory medicine at Samsung Medical Center, who is involved in the CAR-NK therapy development, said anti-CD19 CAR-NK therapies targeting hematologic cancers have shown efficacy in lab and animal models, and the next step is to apply the approach to autoimmune diseases. “CAR-NK therapies are expected to have fewer side effects as allogeneic treatments, and if successful, they could have a significant impact on the medical field and related markets,” he said.
VaxCell-Bio CEO Lee Je-jung added that the research could “shift the virus vector market,” which currently relies heavily on imports, and further develop domestic CAR therapy technologies. “VaxCell-Bio plans to use its third-generation feeder cells, for which it filed an international patent in 2022, to enhance CAR-NK therapy development,” he said.