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Acepodia is focused on harnessing the potential of allogeneic natural killer (NK) cells as the primary chassis for its development approach and its initial lead cell therapy candidates. NK cells are a component of the body’s innate immune system and specialize in recognizing and attacking cancer cells.
Using its NK select screening platform, Acepodia has developed a unique line of off-the-shelf NK cells (oNK cells) that are further primed to fight cancer. oNK cells have a unique receptor expression profile with elevated levels of activating receptors (e.g., CD16) and low levels of inhibitory receptors, ensuring that they are primed and ready to engage cancer cells. Additionally, these cells are allogeneic, meaning they are produced outside of the body and represent a near-endless supply of cells that can be quickly and easily modified to develop potent cell therapies for cancer without needing to harvest the patient’s own immune cells.
Current autologous cell therapies that are generated from a patient’s own cells require weeks to prepare. Unlike most T cells, natural killer cells can be given off-the-shelf, meaning that they do not need to be tailored to an individual patient which allows for a streamlined manufacturing process and increased scalability. Moreover, oNK cells can be cryopreserved so that they are ready when patients need them. Cumulatively, these benefits translate to lower costs and greater availability for patients.
Increased Tolerability
oNK cell therapies may have a reduced risk for dangerous and potentially life-threatening reactions such as graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) or cytokine storm syndrome.
Precision dosing
oNK cells are primed to attack the tumors and do not self-replicate inside the patient. Prior to administration, Acepodia’s cell therapies are specially treated to prevent them from reproducing, allowing for a precisely controlled dosing regimen that could further reduce the risk of adverse events.
Guiding oNK Cells Directly to Tumor Sites: ACC
Currently available cell therapies also present challenges in effectively engaging cancer cells due to immunosuppression caused by the tumor microenvironment. By uniting its potent oNK cells with well-established, as well as proprietary and novel tumor-targeting mechanisms, Acepodia’s cell therapy candidates are designed to target cancer cells and overcome tumor defenses to deliver their potent, cancer-killing cellular payload.
