Global team aims to harness natural killer cells to target myeloma
Scientists to use new technology to bind cells to targets
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An international group of researchers is teaming up to develop a myeloma treatment that harnesses the cancer-killing abilities of natural killer (NK) cells.
As their name suggests, NK cells are immune cells adept at killing other cell types. National Research Council Canada (NRC) has developed NK cell engager technology — a type of technology that uses molecules designed to simultaneously bind to targets on myeloma cells and NK cells, triggering the NK cell to attack and kill the myeloma cell — to fight myeloma.
The technology will be developed and evaluated through a collaboration among NRC, the University of Ottawa, and two biotech companies: Myellama, a Canadian company focused on developing novel treatments for cancers and immune disorders, and Vaxcellbio, which is based in Korea.
The collaborators will test the technology’s tumor-killing abilities and its biological mechanisms of action using preclinical lab models and patient-derived samples, according to a press release from Vaxcellbio. They will also explore ways to expand the program through next-generation delivery technologies. The goal is to develop a therapy that will be approved and brought to market. Myellama and Vaxcellbio plan to jointly commercialize the treatment.
Leveraging technology
The collaboration will leverage Vaxcellbio’s expertise in NK cells. The company is developing cancer therapies using allogeneic NK cells (NK cells taken from a donor) that are then grown in a lab and infused into patients to fight cancer. The company’s lead NK cell therapy, VCB-1102, is in early clinical testing as a potential treatment for several different types of cancer.
Vaxcellbio will contribute its allogeneic NK cell platform, as well as immune cell manufacturing technologies and preclinical testing capabilities. The company also hopes to determine whether the new engager technology can work synergistically with its NK cell therapies.
“This collaboration represents an important milestone that brings together the innovative technology of the National Research Council Canada, one of the world’s leading research organizations, and Vaxcellbio’s proprietary NK cell platform,” said Je-Jung Lee, MD, PhD, CEO of Vaxcellbio.
The company “will devote its full-cycle capabilities… to accelerate this program toward successful global clinical development and commercialization, ultimately providing new therapeutic options for patients with multiple myeloma,” Lee said.
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