Grit Biotechnology and Vitalgen Announce Strategic Collaboration on CRISPR-AaCas12bMax Gene Editing Technology for Cell Therapy Pipeline
Grit Biotherapeutics
Developer of Immunotherapy Drugs for Solid Tumors
Vitalgen
Gene and Cell Therapy Drug Developer
Recently, Grit Biotechnology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Grit Bio") and Shanghai Tianze Yuntai Biomedical Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Tianze Yuntai") jointly announced that Grit Bio has obtained the CRISPR-AaCas12bMAXGene editing tools and related gene editing technologies have reached a collaboration with Shanghai Tianze Yuntai Biomedical Co., Ltd. for Grail Bio to develop, manufacture, and commercialize its specific cell therapy products. Through this collaboration, Grail Bio will obtain a global, long-term, non-exclusive license for specific applications of the related technologies, as well as a global exclusive license for a specific range of editing.
Grit Bio has established a leading CRISPR screening platform in the field of cell therapy, capable of discovering effective and novel targets for the development of immune cell products. The platform has identified multiple candidate combinations of knockout targets that significantly enhance the anti-tumor capabilities of TCR-T, CAR-T, and TIL, demonstrating its great potential in cell therapy applications. The GT3 series products developed by Grit Bio based on this platform have also formed a mature product development process, with preliminary safety and efficacy data already available from clinical trials. Meanwhile, Grit Bio emphasizes the foundational construction and international management of underlying intellectual property rights. It has built a patent portfolio consisting of nearly a hundred PCT patent applications and multiple granted patents both domestically and internationally. Collaborating deeply with industry partners specializing in fundamental intellectual property, Grit Bio has laid a solid foundation for its intellectual property system.
This collaboration marks the first external partnership for Shanghai Tianze Yuntai Biomedical Co., Ltd.'s ViCas® CRISPR editing technology platform, which will accelerate the commercialization and globalization of cell and gene therapy products and promote the overall development of China's cell and gene therapy industry.
About Gravel Bio
Grit Bio was founded in 2019 as an innovative pharmaceutical company focusing on tumor immunotherapy and TIL drug development. Grit Bio has completed multiple rounds of equity financing, receiving support from several well-known domestic and international venture capital funds. GT101 Injection, independently developed by Grit Bio, is the first TIL drug in China to be approved for clinical trials and is currently entering a pivotal Phase II clinical trial. GT201 Injection, the world’s first membrane-bound IL-15 complex-edited TIL product developed by Grit Bio, has completed dual IND filings in both China and the United States. The company's core R&D platforms include StemTexp® (a stem-like TIL expansion technology platform), StaViral® (a stable virus production process), ImmuT Finder® (an immune-modulatory target discovery platform), and KOReTIL® (an efficient gene knockout system). Based on these platforms, Grit Bio has developed a series of next-generation gene-edited TIL drugs. With internationally leading technical reserves and industry resources, Grit Bio aims to create groundbreaking cellular therapies for solid tumors, bringing new hope to cancer patients worldwide.
