Acepodia Announces Nobel Laureate Carolyn Bertozzi as Chief Scientific Advisor to Advance Antibody-Cell Conjugation Platform

Acepodia CEO Sonny Hsiao, Ph.D., said: "Dr. Bertozzi's Nobel Prize-winning research in click chemistry is the foundational science upon which Acepodia is built., we are extremely honored to invite her to join us. Our early experience in immune cell therapy prompted us to develop the ACC platform, which originated in Dr. Bertozzi's lab. As we work to advance enhanced cell therapies for solid tumors and hematologic cancers, we are proud to have her support."

It is reported that,The 2022 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded due to“Click Chemistry and Bioorthogonal Chemistry”and jointly awarded to American chemistBertozzi、K.Barry SharplessAndDanish ChemistMorten Meldal。

Click chemistry is a chemical synthesis method that enables the rapid and efficient synthesis of useful new molecules through reliable, modular reactions. Bioorthogonal chemistry is a further refinement of click chemistry.Utilizing the principles of click chemistry to induce chemical reactions within living organisms that do not interfere with their own biochemical processes, without disrupting normal cellular functions.Due to its mild reaction conditions and high selectivity, it is widely used in biopharmaceutical industries for bioconjugation, labeling, and in materials science.

▲ Dr. Bertozzi (Image Source: Internet)

As a Nobel laureate, Bertozzi co-founded Palleon Pharmaceuticals with Paul Crocker, the glycoimmunologist who discovered Siglec.And subsequently founded four companies within the next five years.In 2017, she joined the board of directors of Eli Lilly and Company, and in 2019, she became an exclusive advisor to the venture capital firm Versant Ventures. Her joining Acepodia this time is also very consistent with the application direction of her research.

Acepodia's proprietary ACC technology platform links tumor-targeting antibodies with its proprietary immune cells to create novel Antibody Cell Effector (ACE) therapies. Unlike CAR-T and TCR-T cell therapies, which require viral vector delivery of transgenes,This technology uses click chemistry to conjugate antibodies onto live cells., enabling oNK cells or γδ2 T cells to have the ability to target specific antigens, combining the precise targeting of monoclonal antibodies with immune cells that kill cancer cells.

▲ Technology Platform（Image Source: Official Website）

At the same time, this technology can unlock multiple receptor signaling pathways, significantly enhancing the ability of oNK cells and γδ2 T cells to recognize and infiltrate tumors, which is expected to overcome the challenges of solid tumors. Moreover, the simplicity and modular "plug-and-play" nature of this technology can make cell therapy more accessible to patients, further expanding its application to indications beyond oncology.

Currently, the company has developed multiple candidate pipelines based on this technology platform.

ACE1702 is an off-the-shelf ACC-oNK cell therapy that conjugates a HER2-targeting monoclonal antibody on the surface of allogeneic NK cells.Preclinical studies have shown that ACE1702 can effectively target HER2-positive cancer cells, including those cancers that are resistant to anti-HER2 monoclonal antibody therapy, and is able to overcome the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment. The Phase 1 clinical trial data previously released has preliminarily demonstrated the efficacy and safety of this therapy. It is reported that in 2020, JW Therapeutics reached an agreement with Acepodia, obtaining exclusive priority rights for the clinical development and commercialization of ACE1702 in mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macao.

ACE1831 is a CD20-targeted, off-the-shelf ACC-γδ2 T cell therapy., aimed at treating relapsed/refractory non-Hodgkin lymphoma. It has demonstrated potent cancer cell-killing potential in both in vivo and in vitro models. Currently, this candidate drug is in Phase 1 clinical trials.

ACE2016 is a targeted EGFR, off-the-shelf ACC-γδ2 T cell therapy., for the treatment of EGFR-positive solid tumors. In vitro model studies show that ACE2016 exhibits nearly 100% αEGFR antibody conjugation and demonstrates EGFR-specific binding activity. Co-culture of ACE2016 with tumor target cells leads to significant activation, while enhancing perforin and cytokine production, and significantly inhibits EGFR-positive breast cancer cells in an orthotopic xenograft model.

Acepodia's foundational technology platform is highly aligned with Dr. Bertozzi’s research field. The successful invitation of a Nobel laureate to join will further address technical challenges at the fundamental level, thereby advancing the company’s progress in cell therapy development. In fact, this phenomenon is not uncommon in the biopharmaceutical industry, and the increasing participation of top scientists will also greatly contribute to the development of this field.