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HCW Biologics Secures $5 Million in Follow-On Financing to Advance Immunotherapy Pipeline

CAR-T
  • HCW Biologics has successfully raised $5 million in a follow-on offering to fund clinical development of its novel immunotherapies targeting inflammation-related diseases, particularly its Phase 1 trial of HCW9302 for autoimmune disorders.
  • The company is advancing over 50 proprietary compounds developed through its TOBI and TRBC platforms, with plans to commercialize HCW9206, a promising reagent that could revolutionize CAR-T manufacturing by improving cell persistence and reducing costs.
  • Despite financial challenges, HCW Biologics is implementing a multi-step financing strategy while pursuing business development opportunities, including a potential $7 million licensing deal with WY Biotech for its HCW11-006 compound.

CAR-T Cell Therapy Funding Surges to $141.2 Billion as Industry Expands Globally

Drug ApprovalCAR-TOncology
  • The CAR-T cell therapy industry has raised over $141.2 billion through various financing mechanisms, with estimates suggesting total industry funding could reach $281.7 billion when including undisclosed deals.
  • More than 170 companies worldwide are developing CAR-T products with 1,944 therapies in development, while 13 CAR-T cell therapies have received regulatory approval globally since 2017.
  • Despite a slowdown in IPOs and M&A activity in 2024, venture capital funding remains strong with 89 CAR-T companies securing $7.7 billion since 2014, supporting advancement in both blood cancer and solid tumor applications.

AstraZeneca Acquires EsoBiotec for $1 Billion: Revolutionary In Vivo CAR-T Technology to Transform Cancer Treatment

CAR-TOncology
• Belgian biotech EsoBiotec, founded by Congolese-born scientist Jean-Pierre Latere, has been acquired by AstraZeneca for $1 billion, including $425 million upfront and $575 million in milestone payments.
• EsoBiotec's groundbreaking Engineered NanoBody Lentiviral (ENaBL) platform enables in vivo CAR-T cell therapy, turning patients into their own cell therapy factories and potentially eliminating complex ex vivo manufacturing processes.
• The acquisition represents a remarkable success story for a capital-constrained startup that operated on just €22 million, compared to competitors who raised hundreds of millions for similar technology development.

Cellectis Advances Gene Editing with Non-Viral TALEN Technology and TALE Base Editors at ASGCT 2025

Gene EditingCAR-TOncology
  • Cellectis presents breakthrough research on TALEN-mediated non-viral transgene insertion technology that addresses manufacturing constraints and genomic toxicity risks associated with traditional viral methods.
  • The company's TALE base editors (TALEB) demonstrate high-fidelity C-to-T editing with no detectable off-target effects in primary cells, enhancing specificity for therapeutic applications.
  • Research shows circular single-stranded DNA templates maintain better hematopoietic stem cell fitness and provide more stable gene editing compared to viral donor templates.
  • These innovations expand Cellectis' gene editing toolbox for developing next-generation therapies targeting cancer, autoimmune diseases, and monogenic disorders.

Cell Therapy Advances Show Promise for Hepatocellular Carcinoma Treatment

CAR-T
  • Cellular therapies including CAR-T cells, NK cells, and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes demonstrate significant potential for treating hepatocellular carcinoma, with encouraging results in preclinical and clinical trials.
  • Multiple cell therapy approaches target specific antigens like GPC3 and AFP, showing enhanced anti-tumor responses when combined with immune checkpoint inhibitors or other immunotherapeutic strategies.
  • Despite promising outcomes, challenges remain including tumor microenvironment immunosuppression, manufacturing complexities, and the need for improved patient selection criteria and long-term safety assessment.
  • Combination strategies integrating cellular therapies with established treatments like surgery, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy could create synergistic effects to enhance overall treatment effectiveness for HCC patients.

Anti-GPC3 CAR T for Treating Patients With Advanced HCC

NCT02395250CompletedPhase 1
RenJi Hospital
Posted 3/1/2015

Autologous HBV-specific T Cell Receptor Engineered T Cells (TCR-T) in Patients With HBV-related Advanced HCC

NCT05339321Unknown StatusPhase 1
Peking Union Medical College Hospital
Posted 4/14/2021

CAR-GPC3 T Cells in Patients With Refractory Hepatocellular Carcinoma

NCT03146234CompletedNot Applicable
RenJi Hospital
Posted 3/17/2017

Single Arm Clinical Trial (Gut Microbiota and HCC)

NCT06563947Not Yet RecruitingPhase 2
Xu Yong, MD
Posted 8/24/2024

A Study of TCR-Redirected T Cell Infusion in Subject With Recurrent HBV-related HCC Post Liver Transplantation

NCT02719782Unknown StatusPhase 1
Lion TCR Pte. Ltd.
Posted 7/2/2015

Expanded Activated Lymphocytes (EAL) as Adjuvant Therapy in Patients With HCC at High Risk of Recurrence After Radical Resection

NCT05213637Unknown StatusPhase 2
Chinese PLA General Hospital
Posted 4/25/2018

Safety Study of Liver Natural Killer Cell Therapy for Hepatoma Liver Transplantation

NCT01147380CompletedPhase 1
Seigo Nishida
Posted 6/1/2010

Trial of TRX518 (Anti-GITR mAb) in Stage III or IV Malignant Melanoma or Other Solid Tumors

NCT01239134CompletedPhase 1
Leap Therapeutics, Inc.
Posted 10/1/2010

Combination of Irreversible Electroporation and NK Immunotherapy for Recurrent Liver Cancer

NCT03008343CompletedPhase 1
Fuda Cancer Hospital, Guangzhou
Posted 12/1/2016

Adoptive Transfer of iNKT Cells for Treating Patients With Relapsed/Advanced HCC

NCT03175679Unknown StatusPhase 1
Beijing YouAn Hospital
Posted 5/1/2017

Hydrogel-Coated Membranes Reduce T-Cell Exhaustion in CAR-T Manufacturing

CAR-T
  • Researchers developed bio-functional hydrogel-coated membranes (HCMs) that significantly reduce T-cell exhaustion during CAR-T manufacturing compared to industry standard TransAct activation methods.
  • The HCM platform using combinations of anti-CD3, anti-CD28, anti-4-1BB, and anti-OX40 co-stimulatory molecules promotes central memory T-cell phenotypes while maintaining robust activation and proliferation.
  • CAR-T cells produced using the optimized HCM combination demonstrated superior killing efficacy against target cancer cells, achieving 28% cytolysis compared to 19% with conventional methods.

Long-Term Follow-Up of TRANSFORM Trial Shows Sustained Benefits of Liso-Cel CAR T-Cell Therapy in Relapsed LBCL

CAR-TOncologyReal World Evidence
  • Three-year follow-up data from the phase 3 TRANSFORM trial demonstrates lisocabtagene maraleucel (liso-cel) significantly improved event-free survival with a median of 29.5 months versus 2.4 months with standard of care in relapsed large B-cell lymphoma.
  • Liso-cel showed impressive efficacy with an 87% overall response rate and 74% complete response rate, while maintaining a favorable safety profile with lower rates of cytokine release syndrome and neurotoxicity compared to axicabtagene ciloleucel.
  • The study revealed that patients who received liso-cel as second-line therapy had substantially better outcomes than those who crossed over after standard chemotherapy, emphasizing the importance of early CAR T-cell intervention.

Study of Effectiveness of Axicabtagene Ciloleucel Compared to Standard of Care Therapy in Patients With Relapsed/Refractory Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma

NCT03391466CompletedPhase 3
Kite, A Gilead Company
Posted 1/25/2018

A Study to Compare the Efficacy and Safety of JCAR017 to Standard of Care in Adult Subjects With High-risk, Transplant-eligible Relapsed or Refractory Aggressive B-cell Non-Hodgkin Lymphomas

NCT03575351CompletedPhase 3
Celgene
Posted 10/23/2018

Lisocabtagene Maraleucel (JCAR017) as Second-Line Therapy (TRANSCEND-PILOT-017006)

NCT03483103CompletedPhase 2
Juno Therapeutics, a Subsidiary of Celgene
Posted 7/27/2018

Axi-Cel as a 2nd Line Therapy in Patients With Relapsed/Refractory Aggressive B Lymphoma Ineligible to Autologous Stem Cell Transplantation

NCT04531046Active, Not RecruitingPhase 2
The Lymphoma Academic Research Organisation
Posted 3/10/2021

Chimeric Therapeutics Raises $6.6 Million to Advance Novel CAR-T and NK Cell Cancer Therapies

CAR-TOncology
  • Chimeric Therapeutics has secured $6.6 million through a two-tranche placement from institutional and professional investors to accelerate its clinical trial pipeline.
  • The funding will primarily support the advancement of CHM CDH17 CAR-T therapy, the first anti-CDH17-directed CAR-T treatment, and CORE-NK cell therapy programs for various cancer types.
  • Patient recruitment and dosing are progressing at major U.S. cancer centers, with the University of Chicago Medicine joining as a new trial site for the pioneering CDH17 CAR-T therapy.

A Phase 1/2 Study to Evaluate CHM-2101, an Autologous Cadherin 17 Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T Cell Therapy

NCT06055439RecruitingPhase 1
Chimeric Therapeutics
Posted 5/15/2024

Dasatinib Plus CAR T-Cell Therapy Achieves 85% Complete Molecular Remission in Newly Diagnosed Ph+ ALL

CAR-T
  • A phase 2 trial of 28 patients with newly diagnosed Philadelphia chromosome-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia demonstrated an 85% complete molecular remission rate following CD19 CAR T-cell therapy combined with dasatinib.
  • The treatment protocol achieved 100% complete hematological remission after induction therapy and showed excellent safety with only grade 1 cytokine release syndrome reported.
  • Two-year overall survival and leukemia-free survival rates reached 92%, with patients having IKZF1 alterations showing inferior outcomes compared to those without these genetic changes.

Sequential CD19 and CD22 CAR-T Therapy for Newly Diagnosed Ph+ B-ALL

NCT04788472CompletedPhase 2
Zhejiang University
Posted 3/5/2021

Porton Advanced Accelerates Development of Innovative Cell Therapies for Solid Tumors with Key Partnerships

CAR-TOncology
  • Porton Advanced's CDMO services have enabled Tasly Pharmaceutical's dual-targeting CAR-T therapy for recurrent glioblastoma to receive IND approval from China's NMPA, demonstrating the effectiveness of their end-to-end manufacturing platform.
  • The company has established a new partnership with Hualong Biological to accelerate the development of Multi-Activated T Cell (MATC) therapy for solid tumors, leveraging Porton's regulatory expertise and manufacturing capabilities.
  • With 18 global IND approvals and specialized platforms for plasmids, viral vectors, and cell therapies, Porton Advanced is positioning itself as a leading CDMO in the advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs) sector.

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