Caring Cross and ImmunoACT to Commercialize TriCAR-T Cell Therapy for Leukemia and Lymphoma

28 June 2024

May 7, 2024 – Caring Cross, a non-profit organization focused on accelerating the development of advanced medicines, and ImmunoAdoptive Cell Therapy (ImmunoACT), a research and therapy development company based in Mumbai, India, have announced a collaborative agreement. This partnership aims to develop and commercialize a multi-targeted chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (TriCAR-T) immunotherapy specifically designed for the treatment of leukemia and lymphoma.

The TriCAR-T therapy is intended to address the issue of relapse that often occurs in patients treated with current single-target anti-CD19 CAR T-cell therapies. Under the terms of the agreement, Caring Cross will provide the TriCAR-T cell immunotherapy, while ImmunoACT will handle clinical development, manufacturing, and commercialization at their facilities in India.

ImmunoACT is actively developing a range of CAR-T therapeutic assets for various clinical indications, including both oncological and autoimmune conditions. Their lead candidate, NexCAR19 (Actalycabtagene autoleucel), recently received approval from the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) as India’s first CAR-T cell therapy for treating relapsed or refractory B-cell lymphomas and leukemia. This landmark approval makes advanced CAR-T cell therapy accessible to Indian patients at a more affordable price.

“We are pleased to form this commercial partnership with ImmunoACT, which is committed to providing affordable and accessible CAR-T cell therapies for serious diseases like leukemia and lymphoma,” said Boro Dropulić, Ph.D., Co-Founder and Executive Director of Caring Cross. “Our global partnership model aims to improve access to CAR-T cell therapies by developing manufacturing technologies and providing affordable therapeutic candidates. We are excited to work with ImmunoACT to commercialize a proprietary TriCAR-T cell therapy in India, which we anticipate will decrease the rate of relapse seen with current single-targeted anti-CD19 CAR-T cell therapies. We look forward to working closely with ImmunoACT to expand access to this commercial TriCAR-T cell therapy in India as part of our mission to ensure universal access and affordability of CAR-T therapies worldwide.”

Rahul Puwar, Ph.D., Founder of ImmunoACT and Professor at IIT Bombay, expressed his enthusiasm for the partnership: “We are delighted to work with Caring Cross to bring next-generation CAR-T therapies to India. This collaboration will enable cost-effective local production and improved access to these advanced medicines. ImmunoACT’s technical and commercial operations are well-proven, and with our network of partner hospitals across the country, this partnership has great potential to benefit thousands of patients in the coming years.”

Caring Cross, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, is dedicated to accelerating the development of advanced medicines and ensuring access to cures for all patients. To achieve its mission, Caring Cross is developing technologies and therapeutic candidates to improve the accessibility, affordability, and applicability of cell and gene therapies (CGTs), including CAR-T technology and stem cell gene therapy. The organization also founded Vector BioMed, a for-profit vector contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO), specializing in rapid lentiviral vector manufacturing solutions.

ImmunoACT, incubated at IIT Bombay, is a cell and gene therapy company with a mission to provide affordable access to novel autologous CAR-T cell therapies for cancer treatment. The company received Market Authorization from CDSCO in October 2023 for its lead product, NexCAR19. With a rapidly expanding pipeline targeting blood cancers, solid tumors, and autoimmune disorders, ImmunoACT aims to offer effective cancer therapies as alternatives to traditional treatments like chemotherapy, biologics, and bone marrow transplants.

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