For many blood cancer patients, chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapies have been a life saver. This exciting and promising technology has shown to produce powerful and prolonged immune responses, often destroying the cancer cells they target.
However, the caveats of current FDA approved CAR T-cell therapies are 1) time consuming due to their “customized” nature that can take several weeks to manufacture, 2) engineered directly from the affected patients’ own cells (autologous) and 3) mostly applicable for blood cancer treatment, with a few upcoming FDA approved CAR T-cell products specific for solid cancers such as Tecelra® (soft tissue cancer) and Amtagvi® (melanoma).
Enter the allogeneic and “off the shelf” immune cell-based therapies. These therapies are based on immune cells such as T cells and natural killer (NK) cells that are manufactured from healthy donor cells, stored, and used on demand, resulting in a significant reduction in the “wait” time for cancer treatment from weeks to days.
Now, several companies are in the process of creating NK cell-based cancer therapies and, according to the American Association of Cancer Research, they’re getting close to a solution.
Senti-Biosciences, for example, recently showed several patients experiencing complete remission of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) after being treated with their CAR-NK cell-based cancer therapy platform. But Senti is not the only company diligently working on a solution.
Peter Choo, Chairman of Singapore-based CytoMed Therapeutics (NASDAQ: GDTC) said, “It is very encouraging to see these early data from Senti. It is our belief that NK cell-based cancer therapies will be the next great breakthrough in cancer therapy.
“Our company, CytoMed, is developing an iPSC-γδ NK T-cell therapy product which we hope to reveal some data on, perhaps sometime later this year, or early next. This product is engineered as an allogeneic solution, which we believe ultimately could target a wide range of cancers and could do so at a lower cost than current, more narrowly targeted and time-consuming, CAR T-cell solutions.
“We encourage the scientific community to review our technology and see why we start with iPSCs at https://w2.cytomed.sg/ipsc-gamma-delta-nkt-cell/,” he concluded.
To read more about CytoMed Therapeutics, visit HERE
Or, for a quick review of the Senti data shown in The American Journal of Managed Care®, visit HERE
The first Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cell therapy (CAR T) for cancer was approved by US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on August 30, 2017. As of 2025, a total of seven CAR T-cell therapies have been FDA approved. All of which have shown strong efficacy in the fight against cancer.
Although CAR T-cell therapies have led the way in the fight against cancer, especially blood cancer, researchers believe the next great breakthrough will come from Natural Killer cell based therapies.
As STAT, a health, medicine, and life sciences publication reports “NK cells are rapid responders in the fight against cancer that can recognize and destroy tumor cells without prior training.
“Unlike most T cell therapies, which require modifying each patient’s own cells, NK cells can be sourced from healthy donors, stem cells or cord blood banks to create an off-the-shelf, scalable treatment option.
“This difference could sidestep major hurdles in cell therapy, including high costs of therapy, toxicities and manufacturing bottlenecks that leave many patients without options.”
There are now clinical evidence showing that NK cells have the capability of delivering the results of CAR T cells, but with additional benefits including:
Lower toxicity, improved accessibility and scalability, and the potential to treat a wider range of cancer types beyond blood cancer.
For this reason, among others, CytoMed Therapeutics (a Singapore-based biotech listed on the Nasdaq with ticker symbol GDTC) has developed multiple products pipeline that include NK cell-based immunotherapy.
The company’s pipeline of cellular immunotherapies is based on novel technologies to manufacture “off-the-shelf” cellular-based cancer immunotherapies from healthy doner blood.
These products include the CAR-γδ T cell technology (CTM-N2D), unmodified γδ T cell technology (CTM-GDT) and iPSC-derived γδ NKT cell technology (gdNKT).
Excitingly, the gdNKT therapy exploits the combinatorial benefits of two immune cell types; the multiple antigen recognition systems of natural killer (NK) cells, and the GVHD (graft vs host disease) resistant γδ T cells for the treatment of a broad range of solid and blood cancers.
As noted earlier, STAT says, “Unlike most T cell therapies, which require modifying each patient’s own cells, NK cells can be sourced from healthy donors, stem cells or cord blood banks to create an off-the-shelf, scalable treatment option.”
In an effort to bolster its gdNKT technology, last October CytoMed acquired the cord blood banking license and assets of LongevityBank.
See more of CytoMed’s product pipeline, HERE
Or read STAT’s coverage on NK cells, HERE
The market for cell banking is expanding rapidly, with a global estimate market of $5 billion USD in 2022. However, according to new research from DataM Intelligence, the market is expanding at a 15.68% compound annual growth rate and is expected to hit an estimate valuation of $15.9 billion USD by 2031.
According to its report, “The Stem Cell Banking market focuses on the collection, processing, and storage of stem cells from sources like umbilical cord blood, bone marrow, and adipose tissue for future medical use. Rising awareness of regenerative medicine, advancements in stem cell therapies, and increasing prevalence of chronic diseases are driving market growth globally.”
What makes this market so exciting for companies like CytoMed Therapeutics (NASDAQ: GDTC), outside its remarkable CAGR, is the utility of umbilical cord blood.
As noted in a review article by The National Library of Medicine, “While cord blood is primarily utilized in allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation, the development of novel cell therapy products from cord blood is a growing and developing field.
“Compared to adult blood, cord blood is characterized by a higher percentage of hematopoietic stem cells and progenitor cells, less mature immune cells that retain a high capacity of proliferation, and stronger immune tolerance that requires less stringent HLA-matching when used in the allogenic setting.
“… cord blood lends itself as a readily available and safe starting material for the development of off-the-shelf cell therapies. Moreover, non-hematologic cells… also have potential in regenerative medicine and inflammatory and autoimmune conditions.”
For these reasons, among others, CytoMed Therapeutics, through its subsidiary IPSC Depository, recently acquired certain assets of Malaysian cord blood bank, Cellsafe International.
Evelyn Tan, IPSC Depository CEO said, “This acquisition seeks to unlock the therapeutic potential of umbilical cord blood and adds a new strategic dimension targeting longevity and wellness.
“While CytoMed, our publicly listed holding company, will continue to focus on cancer therapeutics, our new subsidiary, LongevityBank will focus exclusively on the regenerative medicine market, with its ultimate goal to be potentially spun off in the future.”
Research from SNS Insider shows the Regenerative Medicine Market is projected to be valued at $235.98 billion by 2032. By obtaining and growing a foothold in this particular segment, CytoMed Therapeutics, through its subsidiaries, looks to grow not only its market shares, but also to diversify its overall product offerings in the health and wellness space.
Read the DataM Intelligence report on the stem cell banking market, HERE
Or see the latest press releases from CytoMed Therapeutics (NASDAQ: GDTC), HERE
Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-Cell therapy, or CAR T-cell therapy, has revolutionized cancer treatment. First approved by the US Food and Drug administration in 2017, over 34,000 cancer patients have been treated to date.
However, while CAR T-cell therapies have proven to be highly effective against certain cancers, the costs associated with the development and administration of CAR T-cells are unacceptably high. In the US alone, estimates show that treatment of a single patient can cost between $300,000 and $600,000.
Clearly, while the science (and results) behind CAR T-cell treatments is exciting, the sky-high price tag associated with treatment must come down. Thankfully, there are ways to approach this issue.
BioInformant, the world’s largest stem cell industry blog says, “The high cost makes it (CAR-T cell therapy) inaccessible for many patients and poses a challenge for healthcare systems worldwide.”
In its coverage on the industry, the publication includes five ways to help reduce the costs of this life-saving treatment.
They are:
1: Producing the therapy in countries with lower manufacturing costs
2: Implementing point of care manufacturing
3: Developing off-the-shelf (allogeneic) CAR T-cell therapies
4: Engineering CAR-T cells inside the body (in Vivo)
5: Expanding CAR-T to other indications
Of the high costs of CAR T-cell therapies, Peter Choo, Chairman of CytoMed Therapeutics (NASDAQ: GDTC) said, “Our goal, and I believe the goal of the entire industry, is to greatly reduce the costs of CAR-T cell therapy…
“Currently, while the technology has proven to be very beneficial, its cost is a very high barrier for the vast majority of those in need. BioInformant makes very good points in its coverage.
“I would add that our mission at CytoMed is to create a CAR-T cell therapy that incorporates most of BioInformant’s cost-cutting points, especially points 1,2, 3 and 5. Producing the therapy in a lower cost manufacturing region, and on-site in Asia. Developing an off-the-shelf, allogeneic therapy and expanding our therapies to treat a multitude of cancers, both solid tumors and blood.”
By manufacturing an allogeneic, off-the-shelf CAR T-cell therapy that targets a wide range of cancers, CytoMed Therapeutics, with manufacturing facilities in Malaysia, could help to not only reduce the high cost of CAR-T cell therapies, but bring the costs down enough to treat a much larger pool of qualified patients.
To learn more about CytoMed Therapeutic’s technology, visit HERE
Or, to read the BioInformant coverage, visit HERE