Kiromic Announces License Agreement With Longwood University for chPD1
Kiromic BioPharma, Inc. (Nasdaq: KRBP) has completed a licensing agreement for chPD1 with Longwood University, marking a significant milestone in CAR-T development. This innovative receptor not only inhibits the PD-1 pathway but also activates T-cell responses, potentially enhancing effectiveness against solid tumors. Kiromic's chimeric PD1 CAR-T aims to tackle challenges posed by the tumor micro-environment, positioning the company favorably for future clinical trials. Experts believe this advancement could distinguish Kiromic's offerings in the competitive CAR-T landscape.
- Completion of chPD1 licensing agreement positions Kiromic uniquely in CAR-T development.
- chPD1 receptor enhances T-cell activation, potentially improving efficacy against solid tumors.
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Kiromic BioPharma, Inc. (Nasdaq: KRBP), an immuno-oncology target discovery and gene-editing company, with a proprietary artificial intelligence neural network platform (Diamond AI) to develop novel oncology therapeutics, has announced the completion of the chPD1 licensing agreement with Longwood University.
- PD-1 has always been a challenge for CAR-T development.
- PD-1 is the brakes of the immune system, inhibiting immune cells from killing tumor cells. Traditional PD-1 inhibitors block the PD-1 receptor, “removing the brakes” of T-cell activity.
- Kiromic’s chPD1 not only “removes the brakes” but also engages the PD-1 receptor to “accelerate” T-cell activity.
- Upon interaction with the PD-1 ligand, the chPD1 receptor activates CD3 zeta (the main activating intracellular domain for T cells), and Dap10 (costimulatory domain). The activation of these two intracellular domains induces T cell activation, cytokine secretion, and tumor cell lysis.
"Longwood University is proud to have completed this chPD1 licensing agreement with Kiromic. We believe that Kiromic has a strong Allogenic Off-The-Shelf CAR-T program which will be even stronger with chPD1. The role that chPD1 plays in the modulation of the tumor micro-environment (TME) can never be underestimated when treating solid tumors," says Dr. Amorette Barber, PhD, Associate Professor of Biology and Director of the Office of Student Research at Longwood University.
"The completion of the licensing agreement for chPD1 marks a major milestone for Kiromic CAR-T development. With chPD1, we believe our chimeric PD1 CAR-T will be able to overcome the challenging tumor micro-environment (TME) which has plagued other CAR-T programs," says Dr. Maurizio Chiriva-Internati, PhD, CEO of Kiromic BioPharma.
"We believe that the licensing agreement of chPD1 from Longwood will make Kiromic the only CAR-T development program with a built-in capability to meet other CAR-T programs head-on who do not have a bundled chPD1 CAR-T. We believe that the licensing agreement will place Kiromic in a solid position to begin first in-human in solid tumors," says Mr. Gianluca Rotino, Chief of Strategy and Innovation of Kiromic BioPharma.
About Longwood University
Longwood has a robust research department with 7 post doctorates conducting research in molecular biology, microbiology, genomics, cancer biology, and immunology and publishing over 75 publications in different scientific journals in the past 5 years.
LINK to Longwood University: www.longwood.edu
About Kiromic
Kiromic BioPharma, Inc. is an immuno-oncology biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering, developing, and commercializing novel immuno-oncology applications through its robust product pipeline. The pipeline development is leveraged through the Company’s proprietary target discovery engine called "DIAMOND." Kiromic's DIAMOND is essentially big data science meeting target identification, dramatically compressing the man-years and the millions of drug development dollars needed to develop a live drug. The Company’s headquarters are located in Houston, TX adjacent to the world’s largest medical center and the MDACC.
For more information, please visit Kiromic’s website at:
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FAQ
What is the significance of the chPD1 licensing agreement for Kiromic BioPharma (KRBP)?
How does chPD1 differ from traditional PD-1 inhibitors in CAR-T therapy?
What are the future implications of the chPD1 technology for KRBP's clinical trials?
When is Kiromic BioPharma expected to initiate clinical trials with the new chPD1 technology?
