Vaxcell-Bio, Cellid sign MOU to build cancer immunotherapy platform

Vaxcell-Bio Therapeutics, a South Korean company specializing in anti-cancer immunotherapy, announced on Wednesday its partnership with Cellid Co. to develop an advanced cancer immunotherapy platform.

Vaxcell-Bio is dedicated to researching and developing various types of cancer treatments using the anti-cancer immunotherapy platform. To expedite the development of next-generation anti-cancer immunotherapy drugs, Vaxcell-Bio signed an agreement with Cellid the previous day.

Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) treatment, the next generation of anti-cancer immunotherapy, is referred to as the "dream anti-cancer drug" because it offers long-term patient survival with a single administration. However, as CAR treatments involve multiple rounds of genetic manipulation, the R&D process requires significant time and resources. Currently, only six CAR treatments have been approved worldwide, all targeting hematologic malignancies.

Vaxcell-Bio has been focused on developing CAR treatments for an extended period and has recently produced meaningful results in the R&D phase. The company aims to commence clinical studies shortly.

"Our company is currently making a concerted effort by restructuring our organization and recruiting doctoral-level researchers," stated Lee Je-jung, CEO of Vaxcell-Bio. "We plan to collaborate actively with other companies, such as consignment production of the lentivirus, to become a leader in the development of CAR treatments."

"Through this latest agreement, we expect to contribute to creating positive economic effects and accelerating the growth of the cutting-edge biomedicine industry by addressing the issues of development speed and cost that have hindered many bio companies from advancing," added Kang Chang-yuil, CEO of Cellid.

Write to Jeong Min Nam at peux@hankyung.com