HK inno.N’s CAR-T cell therapy selected as a government-funded drug development project
January 16, 2024
HK inno.N’s CAR-T cell therapy selected as a government-funded drug development project
CAR-T cell therapy targeting HLA-G (immune checkpoint molecule)… aiming for phase 1 trial
HK inno.N (CEO: Dalwon Kwak) announced on the 16th that its R&D project on CAR-T cell therapy was chosen as a project of a state-subsidized new drug development program led by the Korea Drug Development Fund (KDDF, CEO: Muk, Hyunsang).
One of HK inno.N’s major projects on the pipeline is the development of a cell therapy that combines CAR-T cells with antibodies that inhibit the activity of human leukocyte antigen-G (HLA-G), an immune checkpoint molecule. Nonclinical studies are underway targeting HLA-G positive solid tumors, and the goal is to be able to initiate a phase 1 trial with the support of the KDDF program.
HLA-G is an immune checkpoint molecule involved in immune responses in human body. HLA-G is not detected in normal cells apart from the placental cells, and is overexpressed in certain types of cancer cells, destroying the immune system.
HK inno.N plans to develop a solid cancer immunotherapy with improved accuracy and safety through which targeted tumor (cancer) cells are killed while restoring the immune responses of the patients.
Geun Seog Song, vice president of R&D in HK inno.N explained, “we noted the value of cell and gene therapy, a representative player of the advanced therapy medicinal products, and have undertaken independent research and joint research projects, as well as services of contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO), contract manufacturing organization (CMO),” and “as our research project has been selected as a partner of the state-funded drug development program, we will take this opportunity to move on to the next level of developing innovative treatments, contributing to the welfare of the nation and health of patients.”
Meanwhile, cell therapy is a cell-based anticancer therapy aimed at killing cancer cells in which cells are taken from a patient, genetically modified, and grafted or implanted back into the patient. CAR-T cell therapy is an advanced strategy for attacking cancer cells by engineering T cells, the immune cells of patients, with chimeric antigen receptors (CARs), and the resulting CAR-T cells are designed to recognize specific antigens of cancer cells. (The End)
[For reference]
▶CMO: Contract Manufacturing Organization,
▶CDMO: Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization