CytoMed Therapeutics Partners with Malaysian Medical Center for First-in-Human Gamma Delta T Cell Cancer Trial
核心洞察
CytoMed Therapeutics has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with Universiti Malaya Medical Centre (搜索) to establish a multi-site Phase I clinical trial investigating allogeneic unmodified gamma delta T cells for no-option cancer patients in Malaysia.
The company's allogeneic approach using donor-derived gamma delta T cells offers significant cost advantages over autologous therapies, with faster logistics and broader patient accessibility without triggering immune rejection.
Recent collaborative research with MD Anderson Cancer Center published in September 2025 demonstrated promising potential for CytoMed's CTM-GDT (搜索) therapy in treating acute myeloid leukemia.
CytoMed Therapeutics Limited (NASDAQ: GDTC) has announced a strategic partnership with Universiti Malaya Medical Centre (搜索) (UMMC) to launch Malaysia's first-in-human Phase I clinical trial investigating allogeneic unmodified gamma delta (γδ) T cells for cancer treatment. The Singapore-based clinical stage biopharmaceutical company will evaluate the safety and efficacy of its patented CTM-GDT (搜索) therapy in no-option cancer patients across multiple sites in Malaysia.
Allogeneic Approach Offers Cost and Accessibility Advantages
The trial represents a significant departure from conventional immunotherapy approaches. While most current immunotherapies are autologous, requiring cells manufactured from the patient's own blood, CytoMed's technology utilizes allogeneic gamma delta T cells derived from healthy donors. According to Chairman Peter Choo, this approach offers substantial benefits: "CytoMed's technology, however, is allogeneic, meaning we manufacture a rare and specialized subset of T cells called γδ T cells from healthy donors, which is produced at high purity and do not trigger immune rejection in patients."
The allogeneic manufacturing process provides significant operational advantages. "Compared to autologous therapy, allogeneic technology is significantly more cost-effective to manufacture, offers lower, speedier and simpler logistics, making it more accessible to patients, including those from overseas," Choo explained.
Supporting Research Data from MD Anderson Collaboration
The clinical advancement is supported by promising preclinical data from CytoMed's collaboration with The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. In September 2025, the companies co-authored a research article entitled "Donor-Derived Vγ9Vδ2 T Cells for Acute Myeloid Leukemia: A Promising 'Off-the-Shelf' Immunotherapy Approach." The study results suggest significant potential for CytoMed's CTM-GDT (搜索) therapy in treating acute myeloid leukemia, conducted under a research agreement announced in May 2023.
"These exciting and encouraging findings support the rationale for further clinical study of allogeneic γδ T cells in cancer treatments. It will facilitate our endeavor to advance our unmodified γδ T cells into the clinical setting in Southeast Asia and bring novel immunotherapy options to patients with limited treatment alternatives," Choo noted.
Expanding Clinical Pipeline
This Malaysian initiative complements CytoMed's ongoing first-in-human Phase I chimeric antigen receptor (CAR (搜索)) T clinical trial at National University Hospital Singapore (搜索). The Singapore trial uses γδ T cells engineered to express a proprietary CAR (CTM-N2D) designed to target multiple cancer types, including advanced colorectal cancer, lymphoma, multiple myeloma, lung cancer, ovarian cancer, and hepatocellular carcinoma.
Institutional Partnership and Clinical Rationale
Professor Dr. Lim Soo Kun, Head of Clinical Investigation Centre of UMMC, emphasized the partnership's clinical significance: "At UMMC, our priority is to expand access to promising and scientifically robust treatment options for Malaysian patients. We are pleased to collaborate with CytoMed on this pioneering first-in-human trial, which explores the potential of donor-derived γδ T cells as an accessible immunotherapy approach for cancers with limited therapeutic options."
The collaboration leverages the natural cancer-fighting capabilities of gamma delta T cells. As Choo explained, the therapy "is based on the human body's natural T cells innate ability to detect and kill cancer cells." International clinical trials have previously demonstrated that unmodified γδ T cells possess the potential to kill cancer cells.
Company Background and Technology Platform
CytoMed Therapeutics was incorporated in 2018 as a spinoff from Singapore's Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR). The company focuses on harnessing licensed proprietary technologies, including gamma delta T cell and iPSC-derived gamma delta Natural Killer T cell platforms, to create novel cell-based allogeneic immunotherapies for various human cancers.
The company's technology development has been inspired by the clinical success of existing CAR (搜索)-T therapies in treating hematological malignancies, while addressing current clinical limitations and commercial challenges in applying CAR-T principles to solid tumor treatment.