Indapta Receives $4.5M from CPRIT for NK Cell Therapy Development

Indapta Therapeutics, Inc., a privately owned biotechnology firm specializing in advanced cell therapies for cancer and autoimmune diseases, has received a significant boost from the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT). The institute has awarded Indapta a $4.5 million grant to aid in the clinical development of its leading product, IDP-023. This product is being tested for its efficacy in treating advanced non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and multiple myeloma.

Dr. Mark Frohlich, CEO of Indapta, expressed gratitude for the recognition from CPRIT. He highlighted the promising early signs of clinical activity observed in the safety run-in phase of the trial, even at the lowest cell dose and without the support of a monoclonal antibody. Dr. Frohlich is optimistic that the grant will enable the company to treat more patients and achieve clinical proof-of-concept in their ongoing Phase 1 dose-escalation trial.

So far, patients involved in the Phase 1 clinical trial have been administered up to three planned doses of IDP-023, with some receiving these doses alongside interleukin-2. Once the safety of multiple doses in combination with interleukin-2 is confirmed, groups of patients with lymphoma and multiple myeloma will receive increasing doses of IDP-023, combined with the monoclonal antibodies rituximab and daratumumab, respectively.

Indapta’s approach focuses on g-NK cells, a powerful subset of natural killer cells derived from healthy donors. These g-NK cells emerge from epigenetic modifications due to exposure to cytomegalovirus (CMV). The company’s product, IDP-023, involves the expansion of these g-NK cells, which exhibit low variability between donors. IDP-023 leverages several unique mechanisms to target and destroy cancer cells without requiring genetic engineering. These mechanisms include strong antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC), targeting cells expressing HLA-E through the NKG2C receptor, and intrinsic antiviral activity.

The g-NK cells used in Indapta’s therapy are capable of releasing significantly higher levels of immune-activating cytokines and cell-killing compounds compared to conventional NK cells. Preclinical experiments have shown that IDP-023, when used in conjunction with cancer-targeting monoclonal antibodies, exhibits more potent and longer-lasting antitumor activity than conventional NK cells.

Additionally, research indicates that endogenous g-NK cells help protect against the onset of multiple sclerosis and slow disease progression in patients with this condition. Based on this evidence, Indapta plans to file an Investigational New Drug (IND) application in the third quarter to begin a clinical trial of g-NK cells in patients with multiple sclerosis.

Indapta Therapeutics is focused on developing a diverse pipeline of cell therapies aimed at addressing the unmet medical needs of patients suffering from blood and solid-tumor cancers, as well as autoimmune diseases. The company's proprietary platform of g-NK cells is designed to produce highly potent, accessible, and scalable cell therapies. These therapies aim to be the best-in-class solutions for treating various medical conditions.