ImmPACT Bio Secures $111 Million Series B Financing to Advance Logic-Gated 'Smart' CAR-T Therapies

Today, ImmPACT Bio USA Inc. announced the completion of a $111 million Series B financing round. Additionally, ImmPACT Bio released the latest results from the Phase 1 clinical trial of its bispecific CAR-T therapy targeting CD19 and CD20 for the treatment of relapsed/refractory B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma. To date, a total of 8 patients have been treated, and at a median follow-up of 12 months, 7 patients achieved and maintained complete remission (CR). Specific data will be presented at future scientific forums.

The company's logic circuit-based CAR-T platform aims to address key biological challenges in cancer treatment. ImmPACT Bio's technology is specifically designed to tackle antigen escape, toxicity to healthy tissues, and the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment. The company’s technology is based on the work of Dr. Yvonne Chen and Dr. Antoni Ribas from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Dr. Gideon Gross from the MIGAL-Galilee Research Institute. The funds raised will be used to further advance the company’s development of its logic circuit-based CAR-T cell platform.

The company's logic circuit platform expresses two different chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) on the surface of CAR-T cells: one activating CAR targets an antigen on the tumor surface, and the other inhibitory CAR targets an antigen present in healthy cells but lost in tumors. When in contact with healthy cells, the inhibitory CAR is activated and can suppress the activity of the activating CAR, thereby preventing the activation of CAR-T cells. Tumor cells, having lost the antigen that activates the inhibitory CAR, do not inhibit the activity of the CAR-T cells, leading to their destruction.

References:

[1] ImmPACT Bio Closes $111 Million Series B Financing, Names New Board Chair and New President and CEO, and Updates on Phase 1 Clinical Study in Relapsed/Refractory B-cell Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Retrieved January 20, 2022, from https://immpact-bio.com/immpact-bio-closes-111-million-series-b-financing-names-new-board-chair-and-new-president-and-ceo-and-updates-on-phase-1-clinical-study-in-relapsed-refractory-b-cell-non-hodgkins-lymphoma/

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