Indapta Therapeutics Secures $22.5M Financing to Advance Clinical Development of Allogeneic NK Cell Therapy IDP-023 for Cancer and Autoimmune Diseases

Indapta Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biotechnology company in cell therapy, dedicated to developing next-generation cell therapies for the treatment of cancer and autoimmune diseases.Recently announced the completion of a new $22.5 million round of financing to accelerate the clinical development of its differentiated allogeneic natural killer (NK) cell therapy, IDP-023.

Indapta's Universal Allogeneic NK Cell Therapy Platform consists of an effective subset of naturally occurring NK cells, known as "g minus" NK cells or "g-NK" cells. G-NK cells originate from epigenetic changes induced by exposure to Cytomegalovirus (CMV). To generate IDP-023, Indapta preferentially amplifies g-NK cells from healthy donors with low inter-donor variability. IDP-023 possesses multiple differentiation mechanisms to kill target cells without genetic engineering, including highly robust Antibody-Dependent Cell-Mediated Cytotoxicity (ADCC), targeting cells expressing HLA-E through the NKG2C receptor, and the inherent antiviral activity of g-NK cells.

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Compared with traditional NK cells, Indapta's g-NK can release more immune-activating cytokines and cytotoxic compounds.In preclinical studies, IDP-023 demonstrated more effective and durable anti-tumor activity when combined with cancer-targeting monoclonal antibodies compared to conventional NK cells. g-NK cells in combination with B cell-targeting antibodies can also deplete normal B cells in healthy donors or patients with autoimmune diseases.

Indapta Therapeutics, Inc. has completed patient enrollment in the safety run-in phase of the Phase 1 clinical trial for IDP-023 in treating non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) and multiple myeloma (MM). Patients received up to three doses of IDP-023, with and without interleukin (IL)-2.

As recently presented at the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer meeting, the average maximal reduction in serum M-protein or light chain was 73% in responding myeloma patients with relapsed/refractory disease, including three patients who achieved a reduction of 84% or greater. Recruitment is ongoing for cohorts receiving IDP-023 in combination with monoclonal antibodies targeting CD20 or CD38.

In August 2024, Indapta Therapeutics announced FDA approval of its IND for IDP-023 in combination with Ocrelizumab for the treatment of progressive MS. The company's approach is significantly different from other cellular methods for treating autoimmune diseases, with at least three distinct mechanisms addressing the biological issues of the disease.

1) When combined with B cell-targeting antibodies such as Ocrelizumab, IDP-023 can deplete B cells more effectively than using the antibody alone;

2) g-NK cells can target autoreactive T cells and B cells known to upregulate HLA-E;

3) Given their inherent antiviral activity, g-NK cells can potentially address the EBV viral reservoir that contributes to disease pathogenesis.