NORWALK, Conn. & SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) and Indapta Therapeutics announced a partnership to support the advancement of the company’s universal G-NK cell therapy into clinical trials for the treatment of patients with multiple myeloma. Indapta Therapeutics, Inc., is a biotechnology company focused on developing and commercializing a proprietary, off-the-shelf, allogeneic FcRγ-deficient natural killer (G-NK) cell therapy for the treatment of multiple cancers. The collaboration is supported with an investment in Indapta by the MMRF’s venture philanthropy arm, the Myeloma Investment Fund (MIF).
“Our investment in Indapta’s G-NK cell therapy is consistent with our strategy to fund the development of first-in-class, potentially transformative treatments,” said Paul Giusti, President and Chief Executive Officer of the MMRF. “Indapta’s off-the-shelf cell therapy uses a promising new class of NK cells, which could provide a significant benefit for patients.”
About Indapta’s G-NK Cell Therapy
Indapta Therapeutics is developing a universal, allogeneic G-NK cell therapy designed to substantially improve the cytotoxicity of monoclonal antibody therapy in multiple cancers. G-NK cells are a specific and potent subset of NK (natural killer) cells with specialized anti-tumor activity resulting from an epigenetic change, rather than engineering. Indapta has further enhanced G-NK cells via specific G-NK cell subset selection and its proprietary manufacturing process which, when combined, produce a G-NK cell therapy that demonstrates higher efficacy, persistence, and enhanced cryopreservation than multiple mAb therapies alone or mAb therapies combined with conventional NK cells.
When a monoclonal antibody binds to the tumor target and to Indapta’s G-NK cell therapy product, it initiates the release of dramatically more cancer killing compounds than conventional NK cells, allowing for increased efficacy and potentially less frequent dosing. Indapta’s off-the-shelf G-NK cell therapy is further differentiated from other NK cell therapies in that it is a cell banked product with low variability. In vivo studies have demonstrated the safety of Indapta’s G-NK cell therapy.
“This collaboration with the MMRF and MIF will be invaluable in helping us advance the clinical development of our universal, allogeneic G-NK cell therapy,” said Guy DiPierro, Founder, and Chief Executive Officer of Indapta Therapeutics. “We look forward to tapping into MMRF’s deep myeloma expertise and other critical resources, including genomic datasets. The Foundation’s insights into patient recruitment and study networks will help us reach multiple myeloma patients for our own clinical trials.”
About Indapta Therapeutics
Indapta Therapeutics, Inc. is a biotechnology company focused on developing and commercializing a proprietary, first-in-class, off-the-shelf allogeneic cell therapy to treat multiple types of difficult-to-treat hematologic cancers and solid tumors. Headquartered in San Francisco, Indapta was founded in 2017 by Guy DiPierro along with Ronald Martell and scientists at the University of California, Davis, and Stanford University. The company has developed allogeneic FcRIγ-deficient natural killer cells, known as G-NK cells, and is working to bring this off-the-shelf cell therapy to patients to address the limitations of currently available autologous T-cell therapies.
About The Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation
A pioneer in precision medicine, the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) seeks to find a cure for multiple myeloma by relentlessly pursuing innovation that accelerates the development of next-generation treatments to extend the lives of patients. Founded in 1998 by Kathy Giusti, a multiple myeloma patient, and her twin sister Karen Andrews, as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, the MMRF is a world-recognized leader in cancer research, launching over 70 clinical trials and leading to 13 FDA-approved drugs. Together with its partners, the MMRF has created the only end-to-end solution in precision medicine. With this, the MMRF, an innovator in precision medicine, continues to disrupt the industry today, building the CoMMpass Study, the single largest genomic dataset for any cancer, and launching MyDRUG, the first platform trial in multiple myeloma. Since its inception, the organization has collected over 4,000 samples and tissues in its database, which is shared among 23 academic institutions. The MMRF has raised over $400 million and directs nearly 90% of the total funds to research and related programs. To learn more, visit www.themmrf.org.
About Myeloma Investment Fund
The Myeloma Investment Fund (MIF), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF), is a venture philanthropy fund that invests in promising companies, clinical assets, and technologies in oncology to accelerate the delivery of precision medicine approaches and a cure to every multiple myeloma patient. The MIF collaborates closely with portfolio companies to help them advance multiple myeloma research, providing access to longstanding relationships with pharmaceutical companies and academic medical centers, a clinical network of 23 sites, and data from the largest genomics data set of any cancer. This evergreen fund is supported entirely by philanthropy; all profits will be reinvested back into research for more effective treatments until there is a cure for every patient. For more information, visit MyelomaInvestmentFund.org.