Lion TCR and MaxCyte Announce Global Collaboration to Develop mRNA-Based TCR-T Therapies for Solid Tumors and Virus-Associated Diseases

January 5, 2024Lion TCR Announces Strategic Collaboration with MaxCyte to Advance Global Partnership for Developing TCR-T Therapies Using mRNA Technology to Treat Solid Tumors and Virus-Associated Diseases. This collaboration agreement enables Lion TCR to leverage MaxCyte’s Flow Electroporation® technology and ExPERT™ platform to accelerate its clinical programs and commercial applications.

According to the terms of the agreement, Guangzhou Laien Biological Medicine Co., Ltd. will obtain global non-exclusive clinical and commercial rights to MaxCyte's Flow Electroporation® technology and ExPERT™ platform, and MaxCyte will receive corresponding licensing fees and related project revenue. MaxCyte’s ExPERT™ product portfolio is a next-generation leading clinically validated mRNA electroporation technology, applied in complex and scalable applications.Cell EngineeringBy providing high transfection efficiency, seamless scalability, and advanced performance, the ExPERT™ platform delivers top-tier capabilities for the next generation of biological and cell therapies.

"Guangzhou Laien Biological Medicine Co., Ltd. is committed to developing advanced TCR-T therapies based on mRNA technology, aiming to become a global leader in this field," said Dr. Xiaoming Peng, CEO of Laien Bio. "We are honored to partner with MaxCyte and leverage their large-scale flow mRNA electroporation technology to support the development of our novel therapies for the benefit of more patients."

"We are delighted to collaborate with Guangzhou Laien Biological Medicine Co., Ltd. to support their research efforts targeting hepatocellular carcinoma and other virus-related diseases," said Doug Doerfler, President and Chief Executive Officer of MaxCyte. "Through this collaboration, we can help benefit patients in Asia (and ultimately globally) through innovative mRNA-based therapies."The development of TCR-T cell therapy technology provides continuous support for the treatment of patients with solid tumors."

About MaxCyte

MaxCyte, founded in 1999 and headquartered in Maryland, USA, is a supplier specializing in electroporation technology. MaxCyte is committed to advancing the early research, clinical development, and commercialization of next-generation innovative cell therapies, empowering partners in the global biotechnology industry. MaxCyte has established strategic collaborations with multiple cell and gene therapy developers and research institutions worldwide, integrating the ExPERT electroporation system with technologies such as CRISPR/Cas9, base editing, and CAR-T. This accelerates the application of innovative cell and gene therapies in clinical and commercial settings, helping partners unlock the full potential of their products.

About Guangzhou Laien Biological Medicine Co., Ltd.

Lion TCR was founded in 2016 and is committed to exploring, developing, and commercializing first-class original TCR-T cell therapies for the treatment of viral infections and related cancers. It has further developed various TCR discovery platforms targeting different antigens based on its TCR-T cell platform technology, including autologous TCR-T cell platforms, allogeneic TCR cell platforms, and gene-editing technologies. Additionally, it has established a series of pipelines with indications covering solid tumors and infectious diseases.

Guangzhou Laien Biological Medicine Co., Ltd.'s First-in-Class TCR-T Candidate Therapy LioCyx-M004 Utilizes mRNA-Encoded HBV Antigen-Specific TCR to Target Liver Cancer Cells. In November last year, Laien Bio presented the Phase 1 clinical trial data of LioCyx-M004 in a poster at the 2022 American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases Annual Meeting, preliminarily demonstrating the product's good targeting and sustained anti-tumor effects. Currently, LioCyx-M004 is undergoing Phase 2 clinical trials.