Verismo Therapeutics Receives ScaleReady™ G-Rex® Grant

Verismo Therapeutics, a clinical-stage company specializing in CAR T cell therapies, announced the receipt of a $150,000 G-Rex Grant from ScaleReady™. This funding aims to enhance the development and manufacturing of Verismo's KIR-CAR platform, leveraging the capabilities of the G-Rex technology.

The G-Rex Grant is part of a larger $20 million initiative by ScaleReady to boost Cell and Gene Therapy (CGT) development. The program is designed to offer essential support for optimizing cell manufacturing processes quickly. Raymond Luke, Verismo's Director of Manufacturing Science and Technology, expressed gratitude for the grant. He emphasized that the funding would enable the company to improve its manufacturing processes, thereby delivering life-saving treatments more efficiently and cost-effectively. Luke also mentioned the excitement of collaborating with ScaleReady to advance innovative solutions in cell therapy production.

John Wilson, CEO of Wilson Wolf Manufacturing and co-inventor of G-Rex, expressed enthusiasm about supporting Verismo Therapeutics through the grant program. He highlighted the alignment of Verismo's commitment to advancing cell and gene therapy with ScaleReady's mission of providing hope to cancer patients.

As part of the grant, Verismo will focus on optimizing their KIR-CAR T process based on the G-Rex platform and plans to implement this as a standard manufacturing process. Additionally, the company will assess various critical reagents from Bio-Techne, including GMP cytokines. Specifically, Verismo will gain early access to a new line of closed system reagents from Bio-Techne, called ProPakTM GMP cytokines, designed for use with G-Rex. These reagents are expected to be commercially available by the end of 2024.

Verismo Therapeutics is dedicated to advancing new therapies and technologies to improve patient outcomes. The G-Rex Grant will play a crucial role in propelling the company's research and development efforts, ultimately contributing to the broader aim of making innovative treatments accessible to those in need.

The KIR-CAR platform is a multi-chain CAR T cell therapy that has shown promise in preclinical animal models for sustaining antitumor T cell activity even in challenging tumor microenvironments. Utilizing NK cell-derived KIR and DAP12 split signaling provides a combined activation and co-stimulation separate from traditional T cell stimulation pathways. This approach enables sustained chimeric receptor expression and enhances the long-term function of KIR-CAR T cells, leading to prolonged functional persistence and regression of solid tumors resistant to conventional CAR T cell therapies.

Verismo's pioneering work in multi-chain KIR-CAR technology includes its initial assets, SynKIR™-110 and SynKIR™-310, currently in Phase 1 clinical trials. The company is the sole developer of the KIR-CAR platform, which uses a modified NK cell-derived receptor and DAP12 pairing to improve persistence and efficacy against aggressive tumors. The KIR-CAR technology was specifically developed to address areas of high unmet medical need, including advanced solid tumors and B cell-associated disorders and malignancies.

ScaleReady provides a G-Rex-centric manufacturing platform for cell and gene-modified cell therapy, facilitating practical, scalable, and affordable CGT drug product development. The G-Rex platform is utilized by over 800 organizations and supports drug production in approximately 50% of CGT clinical trials and four commercially approved CGT drugs. Entities relying on ScaleReady's expertise can expect significant time and cost savings on the path to CGT commercialization.

Bio-Techne Corporation, a global life sciences company, collaborates with Wilson Wolf to create products like media and cytokines tailored to G-Rex Bioreactors, supporting high-throughput closed-system manufacturing. The company's innovations aim to meet the needs of the research and clinical diagnostic communities.