Catalent to Supply Cartherics With iPSC Line To Manufacture CAR-NK Cell Therapies In Expanded Agreement
Cartherics is developing multiple immune cell therapies for women's health, including its lead candidate, CTH-401, a CAR-NK therapy targeting ovarian cancer.
Key Points
- Cartherics has expanded its license agreement with Catalent to use its clinical-grade induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) line across multiple CAR-NK cell therapy programs, including CTH-401, its lead candidate.
- Cartherics appears to have just finished its first manufacturing run in its new facility, successfully bringing its cell therapy from the research lab into the clean room.
Catalent, a Tampa-based CDMO, announced that Cartherics, an Australian biotech company, will use its induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) lines to continue developing immuno-oncology cell therapies.
Cartherics is developing off-the-shelf cell therapies for women’s diseases. Their lead candidate, CTH-401, is a chimeric antigen receptor natural killer (CAR-NK) therapy targeting ovarian cancer, and it appears it’s based on iPSCs generated from donated cord blood, which are then differentiated into NK cells, T cells, and other immune cells. It carries a CAR targeting TAG-72, a well-validated tumor antigen, along with the deletion of two genes associated with immunosuppression.
The line from Catalent is part of its portfolio of donor-consented, clinical-grade iPSC lines produced under GMP conditions, with workflows that cover reprogramming, expansion, gene editing, differentiation, and quality control.
According to the companies, the FDA has already cleared the use of the licensed iPSC line as the starting cell source for CTH-401, and they’ve shown compatibility between the line and therapy.
Cartherics posted a short interview with the CEO, who stated that just a few weeks ago, they completed their first run outside the research room at their new manufacturing facility. It appears they’re currently going from research to a small production stage, and their pipeline also includes programs for triple-negative breast cancer, other solid tumors, and severe endometriosis.
Here’s a short intro video on Catalent’s iPSC lines as starting materials:
Exciting times for the companies.
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