The Company now has exclusive rights to a US and Chinese
patent.
SINGAPORE, Aug. 1, 2023
/PRNewswire/ -- CytoMed Therapeutics Limited (NASDAQ: GDTC)
("CytoMed" or "Company"), a Singapore-based biopharmaceutical company
focused on harnessing its proprietary technologies to develop novel
donor-derived cell-based immunotherapies for the treatment of
various cancers, announced that the chimeric antigen receptor gamma
delta T cell (CAR-γδ T cell) technology, which is exclusively
licensed from the Agency for Science, Technology and Research
(A*STAR), has been granted a patent by the China National
Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA).
"With our first-in-human trial for CAR-γδ T cells set to begin
in Singapore in the second half of
2023, and the recent successful recruitment of our first blood
donor for the trial, we are especially thrilled to learn that our
technology has received a Chinese patent," said Peter Choo, Chairman of CytoMed. "We have also
started to seek partnerships in the vast China market."
The patent titled "Gamma Delta T Cells and a Method of
Augmenting the Tumoricidal Activity of the Same" covers
technologies for the clinical-scale expansion of γδ T cells from a
small amount of donor peripheral blood cells, as well as the
modification of the expanded γδ T cells to incorporate a CAR that
enables the modified cells to recognize a wide range of cancers,
including both solid and hematologic cancers.
Patent No. ZL201880023646.8, published as CN 110494558 B, is owned by A*STAR and exclusively
licensed to the Company. The Company holds an exclusive, worldwide
license, for use in immunotherapy, including stem cell therapy,
until the expiration of the patent covering technology.
The Company received approval in January
2023 from the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) in
Singapore to conduct a Phase I
clinical trial. The clinical trial, in partnership with the
National University Hospital (NUH),
Singapore has recruited its first
blood donor. The donor blood will be used to manufacture allogeneic
CAR-γδ T cells for the study. The cells will be processed in
CytoMed's current PIC/S Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) facility
in Malaysia. The Phase I trial is
expected to initiate in the second half of 2023.
CytoMed's CAR-γδ T cell technology has been developed as an
investigational cancer therapy to target NKG2D ligands, a type of
stress-induced cancer antigens. The risk of "on-target-off-cancer"
side effects may be reduced by targeting stress-induced antigens
that are mainly expressed on cancer cells such as NKG2D
ligands.
The Company's other licensed technology from A*STAR is an
induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-based technology to derive a
novel synthetic γδ NKT cells for the treatment of various types of
cancers. A patent for this proprietary technology has already been
granted in Japan, and this asset
is under preclinical development.
About CytoMed Therapeutics Limited (CytoMed)
Incorporated in 2018, CytoMed was spun off from the Agency for
Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore's leading research and development
agency in the public sector. It is a biopharmaceutical company
focused on harnessing its licensed proprietary technologies to
create novel cell-based immunotherapies for the treatment of human
cancers. The development of novel technologies has been inspired by
the clinical success of existing CAR-T therapies in treating
hematological malignancies, as well as the current clinical
limitations and commercial challenges in extrapolating the CAR-T
principle into treatment of solid tumors. For more information,
please visit www.cytomed.sg and follow us on Twitter @CytomedSG,on
LinkedIn, and Facebook
About the Agency for Science, Technology, and Research
(A*STAR)
The Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) is
Singapore's lead public sector
Research and Development (R&D) agency. Through open innovation,
we collaborate with our partners in both the public and private
sectors to benefit the economy and society. As a Science and
Technology Organization, A*STAR bridges the gap between academia
and industry. Our research creates economic growth and jobs for
Singapore, and enhances lives by
improving societal outcomes in healthcare, urban living, and
sustainability. A*STAR plays a key role in nurturing scientific
talent and leaders for the wider research community and industry.
A*STAR's R&D activities span biomedical sciences to physical
sciences and engineering, with research entities primarily located
in Biopolis, Singapore, and
Fusionopolis, Singapore.
Forward Look Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements as
defined by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.
Forward-looking statements include statements concerning plans,
objectives, goals, strategies, future events or performance, and
underlying assumptions and other statements that are other than
statements of historical facts. When the Company uses words such as
"may, "will, "intend," "should," "believe," "expect," "anticipate,"
"project," "estimate" or similar expressions that do not relate
solely to historical matters, it is making forward-looking
statements. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future
performance and involve risks and uncertainties that may cause the
actual results to differ materially from the Company's expectations
discussed in the forward-looking statements. These statements are
subject to uncertainties and risks including, but not limited to,
the following: the Company's plans to develop and
commercialize its product candidates; the initiation, timing,
progress and results of the Company's current and future
pre-clinical studies and clinical trials and the Company's R&D
programs; the Company's expectations regarding the impact of the
ongoing COVID-19 pandemic on its business, the Company's industry
and the economy; the Company's estimates regarding expenses, future
revenue, capital requirements and needs for additional financing;
the Company's ability to successfully acquire or obtain licenses
for additional product candidates on reasonable terms; the
Company's ability to establish and maintain collaborations and/or
obtain additional funding and assumptions underlying or related to
any of the foregoing and other risks contained in reports filed by
the Company with the SEC. For these reasons, among others,
investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance upon any
forward-looking statements in this press release. Additional
factors are discussed in the Company's filings with the SEC, which
are available for review at www.sec.gov. The Company undertakes no
obligation to publicly revise these forward–looking statements to
reflect events or circumstances that arise after the date
hereof.
Investor and Media Contacts
Investors:
Matt Hughes
Allele Capital Partners
mhughes@allelecapital.com
Media:
Toni McLaughlin
Allele Communications
tmclaughlin@allelecommunications.com
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SOURCE CytoMed Therapeutics
