"Moving forward, cancer may not be a death threat but a manageable disease with strong control"

Cartherics Pty Ltd, a Melbourne-based biotechnology company led by renowned stem cell biologist and IVF pioneer Prof Alan Trounson, is , focusing on a portfolio of CAR-T and CAR-NK cell products.

- Ayesha Siddiqui

The company’s allogeneic (off-the-shelf) cell platform utilises induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) generated from donated cord blood, which can be differentiated into NK cells, T cells, and other immune system cells. Cartherics' lead product, CTH-401, is an investigational allogeneic iPSC-derived chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) natural killer (NK) cell therapy designed to target solid tumours. Following a successful pre-investigational new drug (pre-IND) meeting with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), CTH-401 is set to enter clinical trials for ovarian cancer in 2025. Subject to early clinical data, CTH-401 will subsequently enter a basket trial targeting other TAG-72+ solid cancers. Prof. Alan Trounson, CEO of Cartherics, sheds light on iPSCs for CAR-T therapies, the future of immunotherapies, and the CGT landscape in the APAC region. Edited excerpts:

Could you explain more about the advantages of using iPSCs from cord blood for creating your ‘off-the-shelf’ CAR-NK and CAR-T therapies?

Umbilical cord blood contains pristine blood cells that have very few spontaneous or induced mutations, can be selected for homozygosity at the HLA locus, that provide the opportunity for transplant compatibility and can be turned into iPSCs that are immortal and can be directed into any cell of the body. These iPSCs can be easily geneedited and have exact editing and freedom from genetic changes by clonal derivation as a therapeutic product free of potential oncogenic inducers. The cells produced are exact clones of each other, much like a drug product. This can only be achieved with pluripotent stem cells. Directing the gene-edited iPSCs into CAR-T and CAR-NK products involves a proprietary method as is the manufacturing process. Consequently, we can use CAR-NK cells for allogeneic (off-the-shelf) therapy. CAR-T cells produced this way need further alteration for allogeneic therapy.