CytoMed Therapeutics Begins Phase I Trial of CAR-Gamma Delta T Cell Therapy in Advanced Cancer Patients

SINGAPORE, Nov. 20, 2024 – CytoMed Therapeutics Limited, a Singapore-based biopharmaceutical company listed on NASDAQ under the ticker GDTC, has announced a major advancement in their clinical research. The company, which specializes in developing innovative cell-based therapies derived from donor blood for the treatment of both blood and solid cancers, has successfully dosed the first patient in its inaugural Phase I clinical trial, known as the ANGELICA Trial.

The ANGELICA Trial, which is registered under the identifier NCT05302037, has received authorization from the Health Sciences Authority in Singapore. This trial is designed to evaluate the safety and potential effectiveness of CytoMed's proprietary NKG2DL-targeting chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) gamma delta T cells, referred to as CTM-N2D, in patients suffering from advanced solid tumors or haematological malignancies.

Peter Choo, the Chairman of CytoMed, expressed his enthusiasm over this development, highlighting that the treatment marks a significant milestone in the company's journey. The primary objective of the ANGELICA Trial is to assess both the safety profile and the potential therapeutic benefits of this allogeneic CAR-T therapy in patients with advanced cancer types.

The traditional CAR-T cell therapy involves extracting a patient's own blood cells, genetically modifying them to express a chimeric antigen receptor on their surface, and then re-infusing these modified cells back into the patient to target and eliminate cancer cells. This method is distinct from chemotherapy, which indiscriminately targets all rapidly dividing cells, including healthy ones. CAR-T therapy, on the other hand, is designed to specifically attack cancer cells, thereby sparing most healthy cells.

CytoMed's approach with the ANGELICA Trial aims to improve upon existing CAR-T therapies by utilizing blood drawn from healthy donors. This strategy has multiple potential benefits, including enhanced quality of CAR-T cells, reduced manufacturing costs, and increased accessibility for patients in need of therapy. Furthermore, the company is leveraging a unique subtype of T cells, known as gamma delta T cells, which can be sourced from donors, expanded, modified, and administered to unrelated patients without the requirement for compatibility matching between the donor and recipient.

CytoMed Therapeutics Limited was established in 2018 as a spin-off from Singapore's Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), a leading public sector research and development institution. The company is dedicated to leveraging its proprietary technologies, which include gamma delta T cells and induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived gamma delta natural killer T cells, to develop novel allogeneic immunotherapies for cancer treatment. The inspiration behind these innovative therapies stems from the clinical success of existing CAR-T treatments for haematological malignancies and the current challenges in extending CAR-T therapy to solid tumors.

As CytoMed continues to advance its research and development efforts, the company remains committed to exploring and commercializing new therapeutic options that can provide significant benefits to patients battling various forms of cancer.