Cartherics, an Australian biotech company developing immune cell therapies, has announced the successful completion of an oversubscribed private financing round, raising over AU$15 million. This funding will primarily support the clinical trial of CTH-401, the company’s lead cell therapy for ovarian cancer, and expand its pipeline to include other diseases.
Based in Melbourne, Cartherics focuses on developing cell-based immunotherapies for cancer treatment. The company’s approach involves rearming the body’s immune system to fight cancer, with a portfolio of CAR-T and CAR-NK cell products. Their allogeneic (“off-the-shelf”) cell platform is based on induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) generated from donated cord blood, which can be differentiated into various immune system cells.
CTH-401, Cartherics’ lead product, is a natural killer (NK) cell therapy incorporating a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) that targets TAG-72, an adenocarcinoma-specific antigen. TAG-72 is a well-validated tumor marker expressed in various solid tumors, including ovarian, gastric, colorectal, prostate, and pancreatic cancers. Notably, CTH-401 is currently the only NK cell product under development targeting this specific antigen.
Prof. Alan Trounson AO, Chief Executive Officer of Cartherics, commented: “The successful capital raising, in times of scant investment support in biotechnology, is welcome and further supports confidence in the company for the delivery of effective therapies in ovarian cancer and other difficult diseases.”
The company has reported promising preclinical results, demonstrating CTH-401’s effectiveness in killing ovarian cancer cells in both tissue culture and animal models. With this new funding, Cartherics plans to initiate its first clinical trial for CTH-401 next year.
Bob Moses, Chairman of Cartherics, shared: “We are eager to start the CTH-401 clinical trial, building on promising preclinical results. This milestone reflects our commitment to innovative ovarian cancer treatments and our investors’ confidence in our vision to improve patient outcomes and drive growth.”
Cartherics’ technology platform involves genetically engineering iPSCs at specific “safe harbour” genomic sites to enhance the function of derived NK and other immune cells. In the case of CTH-401, the product also includes the deletion of two genes associated with immunosuppression, potentially improving its efficacy in fighting cancer cells.
The advancement of innovative therapies like CTH-401 could potentially offer new hope for women diagnosed with ovarian cancer. As Cartherics moves forward with its clinical trial, the women’s health community will be watching closely to see if this cell therapy approach can deliver on its promise of improved outcomes for patients.
