List of CAR-T Immunotherapy Companies in Australia - 10

AdAlta (ASX:1AD) is the pioneer of a novel technology platform that mimics the shape and engineers key stability features of the antigen binding domain of shark antibodies into human proteins to create unique compounds, known as i-bodies, for therapeutic intervention in disease. AdAlta is utilising the power of its i-body technology platform to develop a pipeline of i-bodies (drugs), with an initial focus on treating fibrotic diseases.

Arovella Therapeutics (ASX: ALA) is the only Australian biotech developing an iNKT cell therapy platform to create therapies for people to live longer, healthier lives.

Carina Biotech An Australian clinical stage immunotherapy company established to research and develop chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CAR-T) therapies to treat solid cancers. Carina are working towards producing broad-spectrum CAR-T therapies that can be used to treat multiple solid cancers yet are patient-specific and result in little, if any, off-cancer damage. Using its proprietary platforms, Carina is also developing technologies to improve access to, and infiltration of, solid cancers, and to enhance CAR-T cell manufacturing. We are working to… 1. Expand the clinical indications for T cell therapies 2. Improve the commercial viability of T cell therapies by developing supporting technologies that make T cell therapies more effective or economically viable Headquartered in Adelaide, South Australia, Carina has strong T cell R&D capability across a network of research providers and collaborators including leading scientists at the UniSA, the Women's & Children's Hospital in Adelaide, the University of Adelaide, the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in NSW and the Seattle Children's Hospital in the United States.

Cartherics works to create precisely-defined immunotherapy treatments to combat a variety of cancers. We take a multi-platform approach combining the best components of immune defences utilising gene editing and CAR technology. Our team has strong backgrounds in research, development, and product commercialisation. And we partner with leading commercial and academic groups with complementary technology to push the boundaries of cell therapy for cancer.

Cell Therapies Pty Ltd is a contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) that manufactures and deploys advanced cell-based therapies to the global market. Established in 2003, Cell Therapies is one of the most experienced GMP compliant manufacturers of cell therapies, gene therapies, cellular immunotherapies, and regenerative medicine products globally. We have a 13-cleanroom GMP facility that meets global regulatory and international organisation for standardisation (ISO) standards benchmarked by the Pharmaceutical Inspection Convention/Cooperation Scheme (PIC/S). Our services cover the complete manufacturing process from development to deployment, providing needle-to-needle control with clinical integration. Our facility is co-located with the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in Melbourne, Australia, providing access to hospitals, research institutes, and universities to support product development, translation to the clinic, and patient access. Please contact us through our website to discuss potential collaborations.

Chimeric Therapeutics is a clinical stage cell therapy company focused on bringing the promise of cell therapy to life for more patients with cancer. We believe that cellular therapies have the promise to cure cancer not just delay disease progression. To bring that promise to life for more patients, Chimeric’s world class team of cell therapy pioneers and experts is focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of the most innovative and promising cell therapies.chm

Currus Biologics is utilising its proprietary BEAT technology to develop CAR-T cell therapies for the treatment of solid tumour cancers, traditionally difficult to treat with current CAR-T cell therapies. Currus Biologics’ proprietary Bispecific Engagers of Antigen Presenting Cells and T cells (BEAT) technology overcomes many of the challenges presented when treating solid tumours with traditional CAR-T cell therapy, demonstrating CAR-T cell proliferation and persistence, CAR-T cell trafficking to the tumour and immunological memory extending to additional antigens. Currus Biologics is a privately held biotechnology company based in Melbourne, Australia.

ImmVirX is an Australian company founded in 2019 with a mission to improve outcomes for patients with cancer types in which immunotherapy treatments have limited effect. The company is developing a bio-selected RNA virus to induce tumour inflammation and achieve immune cell infiltration via the RIG-I pathway. The targets for this approach are Ovarian, Head & Neck and those indications which present with liver metastases such as Colorectal, Hepatocellular carcinoma and Pancreatic cancer. The approach includes combination therapy with Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors and CAR-T agents using bio-selected RNA virus. The company founders, Malcolm McColl and Prof. Darren Shafren, were Managing Director and CSO of Viralytics, an ASX listed oncolytic virus company acquired in June 2018 by Merck and Co. Inc. for A$502 million. The ImmVirX team includes key management and researchers from Viralytics and is based at the former Viralytics laboratory facilities in Newcastle Australia.

Imugene is a clinical stage immuno-oncology company developing a range of new and novel immunotherapies that seek to activate the immune system of cancer patients to treat and eradicate tumors. Our unique platform technologies seek to harness the body’s immune system against tumours, potentially achieving a similar or greater effect than synthetically manufactured monoclonal antibody and other immunotherapies. Our product pipeline includes multiple immunotherapy B-cell vaccine candidates and an oncolytic virotherapy (CF33) aimed at treating a variety of cancers in combination with standard of care drugs and emerging immunotherapies.

Prescient Therapeutics (ASX: PTX) is a clinical stage oncology company developing personalised medicine approaches to cancer, including targeted and cellular therapies. Cell Therapies OmniCAR: is a universal immune receptor platform enabling controllable cell activity and multi- antigen targeting with a single cell product. OmniCAR’s modular CAR system decouples antigen recognition from the cell signalling domain. It is the first universal immune receptor allowing post- translational covalent loading of binders to immune cells. OmniCAR is based on technology licensed from Penn and Oxford University; and other assets. Prescient is developing OmniCAR-T cells programs for next-generation CAR-T therapies for AML; Her2+ solid tumours, including breast, ovarian and gastric cancers; and GBM. CellPryme: Prescient's novel, ready-for-the-clinic, CellPryme-M technology enhances adoptive cell therapy performance by shifting T and NK cells towards a central memory phenotype, improving persistence, and increasing the ability to find and penetrate tumours. CellPryme-M is a 24-hour, non-disruptive process during cell manufacturing. Targeted Therapies PTX-100 is a first in class compound with the ability to block an important cancer growth enzyme known as geranylgeranyl transferase-1 (GGT-1). It disrupts oncogenic Ras pathways by inhibiting the activation of Rho, Rac and Ral circuits in cancer cells, leading to apoptosis (death) of cancer cells. PTX-100 is now in a Phase 1b expansion cohort study in T cell lymphomas, where it has shown encouraging efficacy signals and safety. PTX-200 is a novel PH domain inhibitor that inhibits an important tumour survival pathway known as Akt, which plays a key role in the development of many cancers, including breast and ovarian cancer, as well as leukemia. Unlike other drug candidates that target Akt inhibition, PTX-200 has a novel mechanism of action that specifically inhibits Akt without non-specific kinase inhibition effects.