Disclaimer: Due to limited proficiency, errors are inevitable, and some information may not be the most up-to-date. Feel free to point out in the comments. This article is only an introduction to medical and health-related drugs, not a recommendation of treatment plans (if involved); this article does not constitute any investment advice.
June 27, 2024, Carisma TherapeuticsAnnounced the development under collaboration with ModernaThe FirstNomination of the Candidate Drug. The candidate drug is an in vivo CAR-M targeting Glypican-3 (GPC3), aimed at treating solid tumors, including hepatocellular carcinoma. This nomination triggered a milestone payment of $2 million to Carisma Therapeutics, Inc.
The nomination of this candidate development project leverages Carisma’s expertise in chimeric antigen receptor monocytes and macrophages (CAR-M) engineering, as well as Moderna’s mRNA and lipid nanoparticle platform, to create a novel in vivo cell therapy for oncology. Preclinical data suggest that the candidate development project can successfully generate CAR-M directly in vivo, redirecting endogenous myeloid cells to attack cancer cells.Michael Klichinsky, Ph.D., Co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer of Carisma Therapeutics, Inc., stated"The nomination of the first candidate drug highlights our fruitful collaboration with Moderna in developing mRNA-based in vivo CAR-M cell therapy. This candidate drug targets GPC3, a tumor antigen highly expressed in HCC. This milestone represents a significant step forward in the development of immunotherapy for solid tumors and a major advancement in the field of in vivo cell therapy."The in vivo CAR-M program targeting GPC3 was developed under the 2022 strategic collaboration agreement between Carisma and Moderna, which aims to discover, develop, and commercialize in vivo engineered CAR-M therapies for cancer treatment. In addition to this program, Moderna has also nominated four undisclosed oncology research targets as part of the collaboration.Moderna pays Carisma a $45 million upfront payment and a $35 million investment in the form of convertible bonds.Carisma Therapeutics is responsible for the discovery and optimization of candidate development drugs, while Moderna is responsible for the development and commercialization of candidate drugs.
Reference: Company Announcement
