On November 7, 2022 Wugen, Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing a pipeline of allogeneic cell therapies to treat a broad range of hematological and solid tumor malignancies, reported an upcoming presentation outlining the unique molecular characteristics of WU-NK-101, the company’s lead memory natural killer (NK) cell therapy product, at the upcoming Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) (Free SITC Whitepaper) 37th Annual Meeting taking place November 8-12, 2022 in Boston, MA (Press release, Wugen, NOV 7, 2022, View Source [SID1234623281]).

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Data highlight the advantageous anti-tumor profile of WU-NK-101 over conventional NK (cNK) cells. WU-NK-101 showed elevated expression of distinct cytokine-induced memory-like (CIML) NK markers, including cytotoxic molecules, activating receptors, and nutrient transporters. These features provide the mechanistic rationale for WU-NK-101’s enhanced anti-tumor activity and metabolic flexibility. Further, when deployed against solid tumor cancer cell lines, WU-NK-101 utilized monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) to robustly drive antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC).

Data also demonstrate the utility of Wugen’s MonetaTM platform, a feeder cell-free system of fusion protein complexes to generate, expand, phenotypically maintain, and cryopreserve memory NK cells, such as WU-NK-101, while maintaining their potent anti-tumor CIML phenotype.

Together, these data support the clinical development of WU-NK-101 as an allogeneic memory NK cell therapy for the treatment of both liquid and solid tumors, both as monotherapy, and in combination with mAbs, solid tumor engagers, or other anti-tumor modalities.

The details of Wugen’s presentation at SITC (Free SITC Whitepaper) are as follows:

About WU-NK-101

WU-NK-101 is a novel immunotherapy harnessing the power of memory natural killer (NK) cells to treat liquid and solid tumors. Memory NK cells are hyper-functional, long-lasting immune cells that exhibit enhanced anti-tumor activity and a cytokine-induced memory-like (CIML) phenotype. This rare cell population has a superior phenotype, proliferation capacity, and metabolic fitness that makes it better suited for cancer therapy than other NK cell therapies. Wugen is applying its proprietary MonetaTM platform to advance WU-NK-101 as a commercially scalable, off-the-shelf cell therapy for cancer. WU-NK-101 is currently in development for acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) and solid tumors.

About the MonetaTM Platform

Wugen’s proprietary MonetaTM platform is a robust, scalable process to manufacture off-the-shelf memory natural killer (NK) cell therapies with enhanced anti-tumor functionality. The MonetaTM platform uses cytokine fusion complexes for streamlined and consistent manufacturing, is free of feeder cells for enhanced safety, and integrates cryopreservation to allow convenient dosing options for cancer patients.