Nuokangde's Non-Viral, Non-Genetic Glycoengineered Cell Immunotherapy Featured as Cover Article in ACS Central Science

Recently, VCBeat learned that the Sugar Cell cellular immunotherapy independently developed by NKD was featured as the cover article in the renowned journal ACS Central Science (a publication of the American Chemical Society) on March 5, 2020. This further validates the application prospects of glycochemical immunotherapy in the treatment of hematologic malignancies and solid tumors, marking its recognition by the international mainstream academic community. The paper is titled “Glycoengineering of Natural Killer Cells with CD22 Ligands for Enhanced Anticancer Immunotherapy.”

“ACS Central Science,” established in 2015, is a comprehensive chemistry journal published by the American Chemical Society (ACS) Publications, dedicated to publishing novel research articles. The journal covers various fields of chemistry and is classified as a Tier 1 journal in the broad category of chemistry in the newly released 2018 CAS Journal Partitioning, with an impact factor of 12.8.

By synthetically modifying a natural carbohydrate substance—sialic acid—and simply co-culturing it with NK cells (natural killer cells), NuoKangDe forms a sialic acid-NK cell complex (CECT-NK). The modified cells can recognize CD22 or other targets on the tumor surface, thereby enabling NK cells to specifically target tumor cells and ultimately induce apoptosis. NuoKangDe Biopharma is also a company that both pioneers foundational platform technologies and focuses on the R&D of novel glycochemistry-based cell therapy drugs worldwide.

Compared with the currently popular CAR-T cell therapy, the modification of NK cells in CECT-NK therapy is achieved through chemical synthesis rather than genetic engineering. This represents a breakthrough, non-viral, non-genetic cell therapy with revolutionary significance. It has low laboratory requirements, offers universality, and enables industrialized manufacturing. More importantly, as it does not involve genetic modification, this therapy offers advantages such as operational simplicity and a significant reduction in cost.

Meanwhile, in the recent CAR-T patent case, KITE was ordered to pay JUNO $725 million, highlighting the potential for patent litigation in the cell therapy sector and serving as a significant warning to numerous domestic CAR-T companies. NKD holds the global foundational patents for this technology, paving the way for future development.

It has been disclosed that NKD has completed the in vitro cell model validation of its glycochemical immunotherapy, as well as validation in subcutaneous and hematologic tumor animal models. The results consistently demonstrated that glycochemical immunotherapy significantly inhibits CD22-positive tumor cells. Furthermore, collaborative research with hospitals has shown that this therapy markedly suppresses B cells with high CD22 expression isolated from lymphoma patients.

The paper was jointly completed by NKD, Xiamen University, Michigan State University, and the First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University. Dr. Xianwu Wang is the first author. Dr. Zhu Li, founder of NKD, and Dr. Xuefei Huang from Michigan State University are the co-corresponding authors. The project was funded by NKD.

Dr. Li, founder of NKD, stated that this therapy represents a significant complement and breakthrough to existing cell therapies, offering a novel paradigm for cell-based treatment. He expressed hope that the therapy will advance to clinical trials as soon as possible. Meanwhile, the company maintains an open stance toward this technology and is actively seeking various forms of collaboration, including joint development, rights transfer, and investment and financing opportunities.

Xiamen NKD Biotechnology Co., Ltd. is an internationally leading novel drug R&D company based on carbohydrate biochemistry. Carbohydrate biochemistry plays a crucial role in in vivo immunity. NKD has established in-depth collaborations with Xiamen University, Michigan State University, and other institutions, setting up research and development centers both domestically and abroad. Its related technologies are at the international forefront. NKD has achieved remarkable results in areas such as macrophages, novel immune checkpoint inhibitors for NK cells, cell therapy based on chemical methods rather than genetic or viral approaches (CECT), and Antibody-Cell-Conjugates (ACC). Carbohydrate biochemistry plays a significant role in immunity and represents an emerging field with immense potential.

As the first company in China to leverage glycobiology as a platform technology for novel drug development, NKD has garnered support from numerous glycochemists within the industry. In the era of immunotherapy, research into glycans is indispensable. NKD shoulders the critical mission of advancing the R&D of new glycochemistry-based drugs.