University of Utah spinout NanoKar Therapeutics is developing a technology platform intended to improve the durability, effectiveness and safety of CAR-T cancer therapies.
CAR-T treatments involve collecting a patient’s T cells, engineering them to recognize markers on cancer cells and returning the modified cells to the patient.
Although existing therapies can be effective against certain blood cancers, the engineered immune cells can become exhausted, die prematurely or trigger serious side effects if they become excessively active.
CAR-T therapies have also faced challenges treating solid tumors because engineered cells may struggle to enter tumors and remain active within the tumor environment.
NanoKar is developing alternative configurations of immunoreceptor tyrosine-based activation motifs, known as ITAMs, within the CD3 zeta signaling component used in many CAR-T treatments.
These structures help determine how strongly engineered immune cells respond.
By adjusting those signals, NanoKar aims to help CAR-T cells remain active for longer periods without becoming dangerously overactivated.
Early research indicated that the technology could produce cells with greater persistence, reduced exhaustion and lower toxicity.
The company is also evaluating whether the platform can improve CAR-T performance against solid tumors.
NanoKar is currently conducting preclinical research, including pre-investigational new drug work intended to support an application to begin Phase 1 clinical trials.
Rather than developing only one cancer treatment, NanoKar plans to make its platform compatible with multiple existing CAR-T programs.
The company intends to partner with or license its technology to pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies developing CAR-based therapies.
Partners could evaluate different NanoKar ITAM configurations and select an approach suited to a particular cancer target.
NanoKar originated from research led by University of Utah pathology professor Matthew Bettini.
The University of Utah’s Technology Licensing Office helped protect the intellectual property and supported the commercialization process.
Craig Mosman later joined NanoKar as CEO and has worked with Bettini to develop its partnership and commercialization strategy.
The company is raising capital to hire employees, accelerate research, develop additional intellectual property and prepare for studies required before human clinical testing.
KEY QUOTES:
“We knew that this research had much broader potential. If this could work with other tumor antigens and specificities, then it could be widely applied to the field of cancer research.”
Matthew Bettini, Founder of NanoKar Therapeutics and Professor at the University of Utah
“We believe that the most effective way to get this treatment to the most patients in the shortest period of time is to strategically partner with one or more pharmaceutical companies that already have CAR-T programs.”
Craig Mosman, CEO of NanoKar Therapeutics
