HCW Biologics Inc. (NASDAQ: HCWB), a biopharmaceutical company specializing in immunotherapies with a market capitalization of $5.85 million, recently announced findings that could potentially enhance the efficacy and reduce the costs of CAR-T therapies. According to InvestingPro data, the company’s stock is currently trading near its 52-week low, having declined 88% over the past year. At the American Association of Immunologists 2025 Annual Meeting, the company’s research collaborator Dr. Harris Goldstein from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine presented a study on the proprietary fusion protein HCW9206.
HCW9206 is designed to improve the production process of chimeric antigen receptor T-cells (CAR-Ts), a transformative approach in treating various cancers. The protein has shown to be superior to the current standard methods used for CAR-T viral transduction, which involves anti-CD3/anti-CD28 and IL-2 reagents. This advancement could lead to the generation of a larger population of CAR-Ts with a stem cell-like memory T cell (Tscm) phenotype, known for their longevity and targeted cell-killing abilities.
Experimental models demonstrated that HCW9206-generated CAR-Ts had increased potency in suppressing HIV-1 and leukemic cells, with enhanced persistence compared to CAR-Ts produced with conventional methods. This suggests that HCW9206 could be instrumental in improving the long-term survival and sustained suppression of malignancies and other diseases like chronic infections and autoimmune disorders.
Dr. Hing C. Wong, Founder and CEO of HCW Biologics, remarked on the potential of HCW9206 to revolutionize the CAR-T manufacturing process by streamlining it and lowering costs. Moreover, the fusion protein may enhance the functional activities and persistence of CAR-Ts after they are transferred to patients.
HCW Biologics has already established a master cell bank for HCW9206 and filed its drug master file with the US Food and Drug Administration as an ex vivo reagent. The company is actively seeking commercial partnerships to incorporate HCW9206 into CAR-T manufacturing processes.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.