Application:        

  • CAR-T cell therapy has emerged as a revolutionary treatment in the fight against blood cancers, yet its application in treating solid tumors remains significantly limited.
  • The current generation of CAR-T cells continuously expresses their chimeric antigen receptors, leading to major therapeutic challenges. These cells often attack healthy tissues displaying similar surface proteins, resulting in severe adverse effects and systemic toxicity. Furthermore, solid tumors create hostile microenvironments that suppress immune responses, rendering traditional CAR-T cells ineffective.
  • The field urgently needs a solution that can overcome these limitations while maintaining the powerful anti-cancer potential of cell therapy.

Our Innovation: TACTIC™ (Tumor-activated Armored CAR-T with Internal Control)

  • TACTIC represents a fundamental paradigm shift in CAR-T therapy by incorporating sophisticated genetic circuits that enable intelligent cell behavior.
  • Unlike traditional approaches, TACTIC cells remain dormant until they detect specific tumor signals, acting as sophisticated biological computers.
  • The technology integrates three core components: an environmental sensing module that detects multiple tumor-specific cues, a genetic processor that integrates these signals using Boolean logic, and a controlled activation system that deploys therapeutic payloads only within the tumor microenvironment. This “default OFF” architecture ensures that therapeutic activity is precisely confined to tumor sites.

Advantages:

  • Enhanced Precision: Multi-signal processing ensures activation only in tumor sites
  • Reduced Side Effects: Default “OFF” state prevents damage to healthy tissues
  • Improved Efficacy: Capable of overcoming tumor immunosuppression
  • Versatility: Modular design allows targeting multiple cancer types
  • Programmable Response: Customizable therapeutic arsenal that consists of optimized immunomodulator combinations

Commercial Opportunity:

Our development program, currently in preclinical studies for HER2-positive breast and colorectal cancers, has a clear pathway to IND submission. To accelerate our progress toward clinical validation, we are raising $10-20M in seed funding to complete animal studies and pre-IND work. This represents an opportunity to participate in the next generation of cancer cell therapy, supported by strong IP and a strong team specializing in synthetic biology, oncology, and machine learning.