Hemogenyx Pharmaceuticals PLC (LSE:HEMO, OTC:HOPHF). the UK-listed biopharmaceutical company focused on treatments for blood cancers, has entered a collaboration with Kure.ai to develop an ultrafast manufacturing process for its CAR-T cell therapies.
The aim is to accelerate production timelines for therapies targeting acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) and a subset of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL).
Under the agreement, Kure.ai will integrate its ultrafast manufacturing (UM) technology with Hemogenyx's proprietary CAR-T therapy, HG-CT-1, previously known as HEMO-CAR-T.
The combined approach seeks to significantly reduce the time required to produce CAR-T cells without compromising therapeutic efficacy.
Key aspects of the collaboration
The companies will jointly develop a customised ultrafast manufacturing process tailored to HG-CT-1, supported by a clinical study conducted by Hemogenyx. The study will evaluate the therapy's effectiveness in treating AML and KMT2A-rearranged ALL.
The UK group will provide essential materials, including lentiviral vectors, alongside technical expertise, to support the development and testing of the process. In vitro testing will also be conducted to verify the potency and vector copy number of CAR-T cells produced using Kure's platform.
Kure.ai will adapt its manufacturing technology to the specific requirements of HG-CT-1. If the collaboration succeeds, Hemogenyx Pharmaceuticals will have the option to license Kure’s UM technology for further clinical trials.
The initiative represents a potential step forward in addressing challenges associated with the scalability and speed of CAR-T cell therapy production.
Hemogenyx founder and CEO, Dr Vladislav Sandler, said: "One of the most significant challenges in CAR-T therapy is the time and cost associated with manufacturing.
"Our partnership with Kure.ai allows us to explore and integrate a cutting-edge ultrafast manufacturing process that has the potential to revolutionise CAR-T production. This collaboration is an important step toward accelerating patient access to life-saving therapies."