Press Releases Archives - Catamaran Bio

Two allogeneic CAR-NK cell therapies demonstrate significant efficacy in tumor xenograft models

Data underscore potential of TAILWIND® platform to create effective CAR-NK treatments for solid tumors

BOSTON, Mass. – April 11, 2023 – Catamaran Bio, Inc., a biotechnology company developing off-the-shelf natural killer (NK) cell therapies to treat cancer, today announced new data demonstrating preclinical pharmacology and in vivo efficacy from the Company’s two CAR-NK cell therapies in solid tumors have been selected for poster presentations during the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting taking place April 14-19, 2023, at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, FL.

“The data we’ll share at AACR demonstrate the strength of our TAILWIND^® platform to design and manufacture highly effective, unique and differentiated CAR-NK products,” said Vipin Suri, PhD, MBA, Chief Scientific Officer of Catamaran Bio. “We can efficiently manufacture multi-functional CAR-NK products which have demonstrated significant efficacy in solid tumor xenograft models. These advances are part of our continuing progress toward the clinic and lay the foundation for our first in-human studies in solid tumors to begin in 2024.”

Both posters will be presented on Monday, April 17, 2023, from 1:30-5:00 p.m. ET during the PO.IM01.02 – Natural Killer and Natural Killer T Cell-based Cellular Therapies poster session. Details of the presentations are as follows:

CAT-248, an allogeneic CD70-directed CAR-NK cell therapy effectively controls CD70-positive tumor xenografts

Highlights from the presentation supporting Catamaran’s lead program, CAT-248, include:

Demonstration that CAT-248 significantly reduces growth of 786-O renal cell carcinoma xenografts in both intraperitoneal and subcutaneous in vivo models
Use of a novel, single-step engineering solution for simultaneous, non-viral delivery of a CAR, TGFb dominant-negative receptor (DNR), and secreted IL-15 in combination with CRISPR/Cas9 knockout of CD70 in primary human peripheral blood NK cells to prevent fratricide
Evidence that the incorporation of a TGFb DNR provides protection from TGFb-mediated immunosuppression
The use of secreted IL-15 leads to enhanced NK cell persistence

These data establish CAT-248 as a highly differentiated CAR-NK cell therapy with the potential to provide durable responses in renal cell carcinoma and other CD70-expressing cancers.

CAT-179, an allogeneic NK cell product expressing HER2-CAR, IL-15 and TGFβ dominant negative receptor, durably regresses HER2-expressing xenograft tumors in mice

Highlights of data from Catamaran’s second CAR-NK cell therapy construct engineered using its TAILWIND^®platform include:

Demonstration that a single dose of TAILWIND^®-engineered CAR-NK cells induces durable regression in multiple HER2 xenograft models
Functional persistence is conferred by the components engineered into the cell (TGFβ DNR and secreted IL-15) via the TAILWIND^® process
Engineered NK cells effectively infiltrate tumor tissue
Novel PK/PD analysis demonstrating a direct linkage between NK cell numbers, IL-15 levels and efficacy

These results demonstrate the ability of CAT-179 to infiltrate and regress tumors in multiple in vivo models, and support further development of CAT-179 for the treatment of HER2+ solid tumors.

Both posters will be available on the Catamaran Bio website upon commencement of the meeting.

About Catamaran Bio

Catamaran Bio is developing novel, off-the-shelf chimeric antigen receptor-natural killer (CAR-NK) cell therapies designed to treat a broad range of cancers, including solid tumors. Our proprietary capabilities enable us to harness the natural cancer-fighting properties of NK cells and enhance and tailor their effectiveness with the power of synthetic biology and innovative non-viral cell engineering. We are using our TAILWIND^® platform, an integrated suite of technologies, to specifically address the end-to-end methods of engineering, processing and manufacturing NK cells and rapidly advance our pipeline of CAR-NK cell therapy programs. Our team combines experienced biopharmaceutical leadership with founding scientists who are pioneers in NK cell biology, engineering, manufacturing and clinical application. Catamaran is backed by leading financial and corporate investors, including SV Health Investors, Sofinnova Partners, Lightstone Ventures, Takeda Ventures, Astellas Venture Management and the UMN Discovery Capital investment program. For more information, please visit www.catamaranbio.com and follow us on LinkedIn and @CatamaranBio on Twitter.

Catamaran Contact:
Michael DeRidder, PhD, SVP Corporate Strategy
267-496-6534
mderidder@catamaranbio.com

Media Contact:
Gina Cestari
6 Degrees
917-797-7904
gcestari@6degreespr.com

March 14, 2023 (BOSTON and TORONTO) – Catamaran Bio Inc., a biotechnology company developing off-the-shelf NK cell therapies to treat cancer, and OmniaBio Inc., a contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) focused on cell and gene therapy, today announced their partnership to develop and manufacture Catamaran Bio’s allogeneic chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-NK cell therapies for the treatment of solid tumors.

“This collaboration will allow us to develop scalable processes for the robust GMP manufacture of our off-the-shelf CAR-NK cell therapies,” says Alvin Shih, MD, Chief Executive Officer at Catamaran Bio. “Catamaran Bio is pleased to have identified a partner with leading-edge expertise and a track record of success navigating the complex manufacturing needs of cell therapy. We are excited to work with OmniaBio to enable the development and manufacturing of our CAR-NK cell therapy as it advances toward the clinic to address solid tumors.”

OmniaBio, along with its parent company CCRM, is developing Catamaran Bio’s CAR-NK cell therapy process at their Toronto site, where the process development lab is co-located with good manufacturing practices (GMP)-compliant clean room suites to offer a seamless transition between process development and clinical manufacturing. The OmniaBio-CCRM partnership enables highly adaptable and flexible end-to-end support for therapeutics developers, such as Catamaran Bio, that need to move rapidly from development to the clinic and beyond.

“We are pleased to leverage our extensive expertise in immunotherapy processes, analytical development, and GMP manufacturing to support Catamaran Bio,” explains Mitchel Sivilotti, CEO of OmniaBio Inc. “This work has the potential to fight solid tumors, an area where new treatment options are needed. We look forward to serving as an extension of the Catamaran Bio team to advance a promising CAR-NK therapy with the potential to address this unmet medical need.”

About Catamaran Bio
Catamaran Bio is developing novel, off-the-shelf chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-NK cell therapies designed to treat a broad range of cancers, including solid tumors. The company’s proprietary capabilities enable it to harness the natural cancer-fighting properties of NK cells and enhance and tailor their effectiveness with the power of synthetic biology and innovative non-viral cell engineering. Catamaran uses its TAILWIND® platform, an integrated suite of technologies, to specifically address the end-to-end methods of engineering, processing and manufacturing NK cells and rapidly advance its pipeline of CAR-NK cell therapy programs. The company’s team combines experienced biopharmaceutical leadership with founding scientists who are pioneers in NK cell biology, engineering, manufacturing and clinical application. Catamaran is backed by leading financial and corporate investors, including SV Health Investors, Sofinnova Partners, Lightstone Ventures, Takeda Ventures, Astellas Venture Management, and the UMN Discovery Capital investment program. For more information, please visit catamaranbio.com and follow Catamaran on LinkedIn and @CatamaranBio on Twitter.

About OmniaBio
OmniaBio Inc. is a contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) focused on cell and gene therapies from pre-clinical through to commercialization, and a subsidiary of CCRM. Benefitting from CCRM’s existing expertise, OmniaBio provides a continuum of advanced process and analytical development, and manufacturing capabilities, by enabling focused support for clients from early clinical phase to commercial supply needs. OmniaBio is built upon leadership in iPSCs, immunotherapy and LVVs. Located at McMaster Innovation Park, approximately one hour from the U.S. border, OmniaBio’s new commercial manufacturing site will anchor a biomanufacturing centre of excellence. It will open with late clinical phase and commercial capacity in 2024, in a site totalling approximately 100,000 square feet. OmniaBio is supported by the Government of Ontario, via the Invest Ontario Fund. Visit us at www.omniabio.com.

About CCRM
CCRM is a global, public-private partnership headquartered in Canada. It receives funding from the Government of Canada, the Province of Ontario and leading academic and industry partners. CCRM supports the development of regenerative medicines and associated enabling technologies, with a specific focus on cell and gene therapy. A network of researchers, leading companies, investors and entrepreneurs, CCRM accelerates the translation of scientific discovery into new companies and marketable products for patients with specialized teams, dedicated funding and unique infrastructure. In 2022, CCRM established OmniaBio Inc., a commercial-stage CDMO for manufacturing cell and gene therapies. CCRM is the commercialization partner of the University of Toronto’s Medicine by Design. CCRM is hosted by the University of Toronto. Visit us at www.ccrm.ca.

Catamaran Bio, Inc.
Michael DeRidder
+1 (267) 496 6534
mderidder@catamaranbio.com

OmniaBio Inc.
Stacey Johnson
+1 (647) 309 1830
Stacey.Johnson@omniabio.com

MaxCyte’s Flow Electroporation® and ExPERT™ technologies to be used to enhance Catamaran’s TAILWIND® platform for novel CAR-NK cell therapies

ROCKVILLE, MD, January 3, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — MaxCyte, Inc., (Nasdaq: MXCT; LSE: MXCT), a leading commercial cell-engineering company providing enabling platform technologies to advance innovative cell-based research, as well as next-generation cell therapeutic discovery, development and commercialization, today announced the signing of a strategic platform license (SPL) with Catamaran Bio, Inc., a biotechnology company developing novel, off the-shelf chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-NK cell therapies to treat a broad range of cancers, with a primary focus on solid tumors.

Under the terms of the agreement, Catamaran obtains non-exclusive clinical and commercial rights to use MaxCyte’s Flow Electroporation® technology and ExPERT™ platform. In return, MaxCyte will receive platform licensing fees and program-related revenue.

“The ability to leverage synthetic biology to engineer cell therapies will help drive innovative solutions for solid tumor cancer treatment. At MaxCyte, we are passionate about driving the discovery, development and manufacturing of next-generation, cell-based medicines to tackle complex diseases and cancer,” said Doug Doerfler, President and CEO of MaxCyte. “We are excited to support Catamaran with the advancement of their pipeline of differentiated CAR-NK cell therapies into and through the clinic.”

Catamaran is currently using synthetic biology and non-viral cell engineering to develop highly potent allogeneic, cryopreserved CAR-NK cell therapies capable of treating challenging cancers, including solid tumors, by combining new functional attributes with the inherent cancer-fighting properties of NK cells. The company has developed its TAILWIND® platform, an integrated suite of technologies, to engineer, expand and process NK cells into safe and effective, off-the-shelf cell therapy products for multiple cancer types.

MaxCyte’s ExPERT™ instrument portfolio is the next generation of leading, clinically-validated electroporation technology for complex and scalable cell engineering. By delivering high transfection efficiency, seamless scalability and enhanced functionality, the ExPERT™ platform delivers the high-end performance essential to enabling the next wave of biological and cellular therapeutics. The Catamaran agreement is MaxCyte’s 19th SPL overall.

About MaxCyte
MaxCyte is a leading, cell-engineering focused company providing enabling platform technologies to advance the discovery, development and commercialization of next-generation cell therapeutics and to support innovative, cell-based research. Over the past 20 years, we have developed and commercialized our proprietary Flow Electroporation® technology, which facilitates complex engineering of a wide variety of cells. Our ExPERT™ platform, which is based on our Flow Electroporation technology, has been designed to support the rapidly expanding cell therapy market and can be utilized across the continuum of the high-growth cell therapy sector, from discovery and development through commercialization of next-generation, cell-based medicines. The ExPERT family of products includes: four instruments, the ATx®, STx® GTx® and VLx™; a portfolio of proprietary related processing assemblies or disposables; and software protocols, all supported by a robust worldwide intellectual property portfolio.
Learn more at maxcyte.com and follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.

MaxCyte Contacts:

US IR Adviser
Gilmartin Group
David Deuchler, CFA
+1 415-937-5400
ir@maxcyte.com

US Media Relations
Spectrum Seismic Collaborative
Valerie Enes
+1 408-497-8568
valerie@spectrumscience.com

Nominated Adviser and Joint Corporate Broker
Panmure Gordon
Emma Earl / Freddy Crossley
Corporate Broking
Rupert Dearden
+44 (0)20 7886 2500

UK IR Adviser
Consilium Strategic Communications
Mary-Jane Elliott
Chris Welsh
+44 (0)203 709 5700
maxcyte@consilium-comms.com

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – November 10, 2022 – Catamaran Bio, Inc., a biotechnology company developing off-the-shelf NK cell therapies to treat cancer, today announced new data demonstrating preclinical efficacy of two CAR-NK cell therapies in solid and hematological cancers. The data are being presented in two posters at the Society for Immunotherapy in Cancer (SITC) 37^th Annual Meeting, being held in Boston, Massachusetts, November 8-12, 2022.

“Collectively, these preclinical data sets demonstrate the power of Catamaran’s fully-integrated TAILWIND™ platform to deliver allogeneic NK cell therapies for solid tumors,” said Vipin Suri, PhD, MBA, Chief Scientific Officer of Catamaran Bio. “We have now shown preclinical efficacy in multiple xenograft models with two differentiated CAR-NK cell therapies engineered with the functional attributes necessary for durable efficacy in solid tumors and manufactured using an efficient non-viral cell engineering system.”

Data supporting Catamaran’s lead program, CAT-248, will be presented in a poster titled “Engineering CD70-directed CAR-NK cells for the Treatment of Hematological and Solid Malignancies.” Highlights include:

The non-viral TcBuster™ Transposon System was used to deliver transposons containing a CD70 CAR or CD70 CAR/IL15 expression cassette in primary human peripheral blood NK (PBNK) cells.
Knockout of CD70 via CRISPR/Cas9 in CD70 CAR-expressing NK cells mitigated fratricide and increased cell yield.
Engineered cells were highly cytotoxic against multiple CD70-positive tumor cells lines derived from renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML).
A single dose of engineered NK cells expressing CD70 CAR and secreted IL15 reduced tumor burden and increased survival in an RCC xenograft model, without the need for exogenous IL15.

These results demonstrate the potential for targeting CD70 with CAR-NK cell therapy for the treatment of AML, RCC, and other CD70-positive malignancies while overcoming fratricide issues by engineering with a non-viral transposon delivery system in combination with CRISPR/Cas9 editing.

Data from a second CAR-NK cell therapy construct engineered using the TAILWIND™ platform are presented in a poster titled “Allogeneic Natural Killer Cells Engineered to Express HER2-directed CAR, Interleukin-15 and TGFβ Dominant Negative Receptor Effectively Control HER2+ Tumors.” Highlights include:

The non-viral TcBuster™ Transposon System enabled high efficiency engineering of a large multi-cistronic cargo containing HER2-CAR, IL15, and TGFβ-Transposon engineering of CAT-179 resulted in stable expression of the CAR without the need for post-engineering selection.
CAT-179 demonstrated HER2-CAR-driven interferon gamma (IFNγ) production and tumor cell killing in vitro when co-cultured with HER2⁺ tumor cells.
CAT-179 was resistant to TGFβ-mediated immunosuppression in vitro, indicating that the cells will be protected from TGFβ-mediated immune suppression in the tumor microenvironment.
Engineering of IL15 in CAT-179 significantly enhanced NK cell persistence and in vitro and in vivo and eliminated the need for exogenous cytokine support.
CAT-179 showed potent anti-tumor activity in vivo against a xenografted HER2+ N87 gastric cancer cell line and led to a significant survival benefit in tumor-bearing mice.

These results demonstrate that NK cells engineered via the TAILWIND™ platform have a favorable pharmacologic profile and the potential for treatment of solid tumors.

Both posters are available on the Catamaran Bio website.

About Catamaran Bio

Catamaran Bio is developing novel, off-the-shelf chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-NK cell therapies designed to treat a broad range of cancers, including solid tumors. Our proprietary capabilities enable us to harness the natural cancer-fighting properties of NK cells and enhance and tailor their effectiveness with the power of synthetic biology and innovative non-viral cell engineering. We are using our TAILWIND™ platform, an integrated suite of technologies, to specifically address the end-to-end methods of engineering, processing and manufacturing NK cells and rapidly advance our pipeline of CAR-NK cell therapy programs. Our team combines experienced biopharmaceutical leadership with founding scientists who are pioneers in NK cell biology, engineering, manufacturing and clinical application. Catamaran is backed by leading financial and corporate investors, including SV Health Investors, Sofinnova Partners, Lightstone Ventures, Takeda Ventures, Astellas Venture Management, and the UMN Discovery Capital investment program. For more information, please visit www.catamaranbio.com and follow us on LinkedIn and @CatamaranBio on Twitter.

Catamaran Contact:
Mark Boshar, Chief Operating Officer
617-620-9709
mark@catamaranbio.com

Media Contact:
Kathryn Morris, The Yates Network
914-204-6412
kathryn@theyatesnetwork.com

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – October 5, 2022 – Catamaran Bio, Inc., a biotechnology company developing off‑the-shelf NK cell therapies to treat cancer, today announced that the company will present preclinical efficacy data for its allogeneic, cryopreserved CAR-NK cell therapies designed to treat solid tumors, engineered using Catamaran’s TAILWIND^TM platform. The data demonstrate the promise of two of the company’s CAR-NK cell therapies, CAT-248 and CAT-179, for the treatment of solid tumors, and will be presented in two poster presentations at the Society for Immunotherapy in Cancer (SITC) 37^th Annual Meeting, being held in Boston, Massachusetts, November 8-12, 2022.

Details of the poster presentations are as follows:

Title for CAT-248 poster: Engineering CD70-directed CAR-NK cells for the treatment of hematological and solid malignancies

Lead Authors: Branden Moriarity, PhD, Associate Professor, Division of Hematology/ Oncology and Jae-Woong Chang, PhD, Research Associate, University of Minnesota (research agreement sponsored by Catamaran Bio); Eugene Choi, Principal Scientist, Catamaran Bio
Session Date and Time:November 11, 2022, 9:00 a.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Location: Poster Hall
Abstract Number:392

Title for CAT-179 poster: Allogeneic natural killer cells engineered to express HER2-directed CAR, interleukin-15 and TGFß dominant negative receptor effectively control HER2+ tumors

Lead Author: Finola Moore, PhD, Director, Catamaran Bio
Session Date and Time:November 11, 2022, 9:00 a.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Location: Poster Hall
Abstract Number:264

Both abstracts will become available online on the SITC conference website beginning at 8:00 a.m. ET on Monday, November 7, 2022.

About Catamaran Bio

– Two poster presentations at ASGCT Annual Meeting demonstrate potential of synthetic receptors to prevent TGFβ-mediated immunosuppression and enhance NK cell expansion and function –

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – May 16, 2022 – Catamaran Bio, Inc., a biotechnology company developing off‑the-shelf chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-NK cell therapies to treat cancer, is presenting new preclinical data today at the American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy (ASGCT) Annual Meeting, being held in Washington, DC. The data demonstrate successful engineering of CAR-NK cells to preserve and enhance NK cell activity in the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment.

“The ability to enable robust functioning of CAR-NK cells in the immunosuppressive solid tumor microenvironment will be critical to the success of cell therapies,” said Vipin Suri, PhD, MBA, Chief Scientific Officer of Catamaran Bio. “We are presenting data on a TGFβ receptor that lacks an intracellular signaling domain and acts as a TGFβ trap, as well as proprietary next generation switch receptors that reconfigure inhibitory TGFβ signaling to be stimulatory. Both approaches lead to protection from TGFβ immunosuppression of CAR-NK cells as well as neighboring immune cells. The approaches we are presenting at ASGCT are part of our innovative switch receptor platform which includes multiple strategies to convert other immunosuppressive signals into beneficial signals that stimulate and enhance the therapeutic activity of NK cells.”

Highlights of the data presented on TGFβ switch receptors for CAR-NK cell therapies are as follows:

Abstract #313: Dominant Negative Receptor for TGFβ

A TGFβ dominant negative receptor (DNR) was shown to protect the function of both the engineered CAR‑NK cells and neighboring NK cells from the immunosuppressive effects of TGFβ.

CAR-NK cells engineered with this TGFβ DNR demonstrated reduction of downstream TGFβactivity as shown by >90% reduction of SMAD2 phosphorylation (a downstream signal of TGFβ activity) even at supraphysiological doses of TGFβ.
By acting as a sink, the TGFβ DNR also protected neighboring NK cells from immunosuppressive TGFβ signaling, resulting in approximately a 3-fold reduction in potency of TGFβ in inducing SMAD2 phosphorylation.
Co-expression of the TGFβ DNR with a HER2-CAR construct restored CAR-dependent cytotoxicity in the presence of TGFβ.

Abstract #331: Next Generation TGFβ Switch Receptors

Building on its success using TGFβ-DNRs to prevent immunosuppression, Catamaran also engineered synthetic receptors that effectively converted TGFβ signals into cell stimulatory signals.

A diverse set of switch receptors were engineered with a TGFβ receptor extracellular domain, coupled with various intracellular domains.
These proprietary next generation TGFβ switch receptors successfully reversed TGFβ-mediated inhibition, promoted NK cell expansion in vitro, and enhanced NK cell functional responses.
Chronic TGFβ stimulation strengthened NK cell tumor killing and target-induced cytokine secretion, and incorporation of the switch receptors also protected the cells from suppressive TGFβ signaling.

The posters will be available on the Catamaran Bio website.

About Catamaran Bio

Catamaran Bio is developing novel, off-the-shelf chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-NK cell therapies designed to treat a broad range of cancers, including solid tumors. Our proprietary capabilities enable us to harness the natural cancer-fighting properties of NK cells and enhance and tailor their effectiveness with the power of synthetic biology and innovative non-viral cell engineering. We are using our TAILWIND™ platform, an integrated suite of technologies, to specifically address the end-to-end methods of engineering, processing and manufacturing NK cells and rapidly advance our pipeline of CAR-NK cell therapy programs. Our team combines experienced biopharmaceutical leadership with founding scientists who are pioneers in NK cell biology, engineering, manufacturing, and clinical application. Catamaran is backed by leading financial and corporate investors, including SV Health Investors, Sofinnova Partners, Lightstone Ventures, Takeda Ventures, Astellas Venture Management, and the UMN Discovery Capital investment program. For more information, please visit www.catamaranbio.com and follow us on LinkedIn and @CatamaranBio on Twitter.

Catamaran contact:
Mark Boshar, Chief Operating Officer
617-620-9709
mark@catamaranbio.com

Media Contact:
Kathryn Morris, The Yates Network
914-204-6412
kathryn@theyatesnetwork.com

– Two posters describe features of Catamaran’s CAR-NK platform designed to overcome the immunosuppressive effects of the solid tumor microenvironment –

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – May 2, 2022 – Catamaran Bio, Inc., a biotechnology company developing off‑the-shelf chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-NK cell therapies to treat cancer, today announced that the company will present two posters at the American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy (ASGCT) Annual Meeting, being held in Washington, DC, on May 16-18, 2022. Catamaran scientists will present data supporting CAR‑NK cell therapy design strategies to neutralize the immunosuppressive effects of the tumor microenvironment, including use of synthetic biology-enabled chimeric switch receptors which convert the inhibitory signal of TGF-β into positive NK cell activation signals.

“We look forward to sharing our progress in engineering CAR-NK cells to confer them with the functional attributes to enable durable efficacy in solid tumors,” said Vipin Suri, PhD, MBA, Chief Scientific Officer of Catamaran Bio. “Our presentations at ASGCT describe approaches to mitigate the effects of TGF-β, a highly immunosuppressive cytokine known to reduce the anti-tumor activity of immune cells. We will show data on the activities of multiple TGF-β based synthetic receptors that confer a range of benefits to CAR-NK cells and enhance anti-tumor activity in high TGF-β environments.”

Details of the poster presentations are as follows:

Presentation Title: Engineered allogeneic CAR natural killer cells resist tumor microenvironment immunosuppression by expression of a TGF-βR2 dominant negative receptor
Session Title: Cancer – Immunotherapy, Cancer Vaccines I
Session Date & Time: Monday May 16, 2022, 5:30 p.m. ET
Location: Hall D
Abstract Number: 313
Poster Board Number: M-194

Presentation Title: A synthetic biology approach to address the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment: Novel TGF-β switch receptors convert inhibitory signals to enhance NK cell activity
Session Title: Cancer – Immunotherapy, Cancer Vaccines I
Session Date & Time: Monday May 16, 2022, 5:30 p.m. ET
Location: Hall D
Abstract Number: 331
Poster Board Number: M-212

The abstracts will be available on the ASGCT conference website.

About Catamaran Bio

Catamaran contact:
Mark Boshar, Chief Operating Officer
617-620-9709
mark@catamaranbio.com

Media Contact:
Kathryn Morris, The Yates Network
914-204-6412
kathryn@theyatesnetwork.com

Experienced industry clinician brings deep expertise in oncology development including advancement of allogeneic cell therapy to first-in-human trials

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – April 27, 2022 – Catamaran Bio, Inc., a biotechnology company developing off ‑the-shelf chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-NK cell therapies to treat cancer, today announced the appointment of Cherry Thomas, MD, as Chief Medical Officer. Dr. Thomas has broad experience in the clinical development of cell therapies. She initiated a first-in-human clinical trial of an allogeneic cell therapy during her previous role as senior vice president of clinical development at Caribou Biosciences. Dr. Thomas’ experience in oncology clinical development also includes leadership roles at Array BioPharma/Pfizer, Bristol Myers Squibb, Novartis, GlaxoSmithKline, and Amgen.

“Cherry’s extensive experience in oncology and cell therapy drug development, clinical expertise, and impressive track record make her an ideal fit as we advance our innovative CAR-NK programs,” said Alvin Shih, MD, Chief Executive Officer of Catamaran Bio. “We welcome Cherry at a pivotal time in our evolution, as we build the capabilities to become a clinical-stage company.”

“I am excited to bring my clinical development experience with allogeneic cell therapies to a talented Catamaran team that has built a leading-edge platform for CAR-NK cell therapies,” said Dr. Thomas. “I look forward to the opportunity to guide the clinical advancement of the Catamaran’s promising pipeline of allogeneic CAR-NK cell therapies, potentially becoming off-the-shelf treatments for patients with solid tumors.”

Dr. Thomas has extensive pharmaceutical and biotech industry experience and expertise in the clinical development of oncology therapeutics including allogeneic cell therapies. Dr. Thomas joins Catamaran from Caribou Biosciences where she served as senior vice president of clinical development. In this role, she initiated and built Caribou’s clinical development program and advanced the company’s first allogeneic CAR-T cell therapy into the clinic. Prior to Caribou, she held positions of increasing responsibility and leadership in U.S. and global clinical development and medical affairs at Array BioPharma/Pfizer, Bristol Myers Squibb, Novartis, GlaxoSmithKline, and Amgen. Dr. Thomas received her MD from the University of California, Irvine, and completed her residency at the University of Michigan in radiation oncology and is a licensed physician and surgeon. She received her BA from the University of California, Los Angeles.

About Catamaran Bio

Catamaran contact:
Mark Boshar, Chief Operating Officer
617-620-9709
mark@catamaranbio.com

Media Contact:
Kathryn Morris, The Yates Network
914-204-6412
kathryn@theyatesnetwork.com

— CAT-179 significantly reduces tumor burden and extends survival in a mouse HER2+ xenograft model–

BOSTON, Mass. – April 8, 2022 – Catamaran Bio, Inc., a biotechnology company developing allogeneic, off‑the-shelf chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-NK cell therapies to treat cancer, today announced preclinical data showing that CAT-179, a cryopreserved, allogeneic HER2-targeted CAR-NK cell therapy, reduces tumor burden and extends survival in a HER2 mouse xenograft model. The results will be presented at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting being held in New Orleans from April 8‑13, 2022.

“With these results, CAT-179 exemplifies the industry-leading capabilities of our TAILWIND platform to engineer off-the-shelf CAR-NK cell therapies with the features to overcome critical barriers to treat solid tumors,” said Vipin Suri, PhD, MBA, Chief Scientific Officer of Catamaran Bio. “We are successfully integrating NK cell engineering with scalable and efficient cell processing and manufacturing to deliver on the promise of off-the-shelf CAR-NK cell therapies for solid tumors, and we are excited to be rapidly advancing CAT-179 toward the clinic.”

Data presented in a poster titled, “Allogeneic Natural Killer Cells Engineered to Express HER2 CAR, Interleukin 15, and TGF beta Dominant Negative Receptor Effectively Control HER2⁺ Tumors,” describe experiments showing key capabilities of the TAILWIND^TM platform and characterization of the HER2-targeted CAR-NK cells. Highlights from the preclinical results include:

CAT-179 was efficiently engineered (45% CAR⁺) from donor-derived NK cells using the non-viral TcBuster transposon system, incorporating a multi-cistronic cargo containing HER2 CAR, IL15, and TGFβ dominant negative receptor (TGFβ DNR). The result was stable expression of the construct without the need for post-engineering selection.
CAT-179 demonstrated HER2-CAR-driven interferon gamma production and tumor cell killing in vitro when co-cultured with HER2⁺ tumor cells.
The TGFβ DNR in CAT-179 demonstrated resistance to TGFb-mediated immunosuppression in vitro.
CAT-179 cells persisted in vitro without the need for exogenous cytokines and showed significantly enhanced in vivopersistence up to at least 40 days in mouse models.
CAT-179 showed potent anti-tumor activity against a xenografted HER2⁺ ovarian cancer cell line (SKOV3), leading to a substantial survival benefit in tumor-bearing mice. Overall, CAT-179 treated animals demonstrated tumor reduction of 98% compared to control animals (p<0.019 two-tailed t-test) and had a median survival of 114 days vs. control animal median survival of 60 days.

The poster is available on the publications and presentations section of the Catamaran Bio website.

About Catamaran Bio

Catamaran contact:
Mark Boshar, Chief Operating Officer
617-620-9709
mark@catamaranbio.com

Media Contact:
Kathryn Morris, The Yates Network
914-204-6412
kathryn@theyatesnetwork.com

— Appointment of experienced commercial leader brings significant expertise in solid tumor indications targeted by Catamaran’s CAR-NK programs —

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – April 5, 2022 – Catamaran Bio, Inc., a biotechnology company developing off ‑the-shelf chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-NK cell therapies to treat cancer, today announced the appointment of Frank Lee as Chair of its Board of Directors. Mr. Lee has over 25 years of global experience in biopharmaceutical product development and commercial leadership across a wide range of therapeutic areas, including solid tumor oncology.

“We are pleased to welcome Frank as Chair of our Board,” said Alvin Shih, MD, MBA, Chief Executive Officer of Catamaran Bio. “Frank has an impressive track record of leadership in biopharmaceutical organizations at growth stages, including new product launches. His extensive experience advancing breakthrough treatments in cancer markets will be invaluable to Catamaran as we advance our pipeline of off-the-shelf CAR-NK cell therapies to bring a new class of cell therapies to patients.”

“I am honored to serve as Chair of Catamaran’s Board and look forward to working with an impressive team to help advance Catamaran’s allogeneic CAR-NK cell therapies toward the clinic,” said Mr. Lee. “This is a very exciting time in the cell therapy field, and I’m eager to share my expertise to support Catamaran’s mission to realize the full potential of CAR-NK cell therapies to provide new treatment options for cancer patients.”

Mr. Lee is Chief Executive Officer of Forma Therapeutics and has more than 25 years of global experience in product development and commercial leadership across a wide range of therapeutic areas. He served as senior vice president, global product strategy, and therapeutic area head for the immunology, ophthalmology, and infectious diseases at Genentech. At Genentech, he also served as vice president of the HER2/Breast Cancer Franchise, which included Herceptin®, Perjeta® and Kadcyla®. As vice president of oral oncolytics, Mr. Lee held P&L responsibility for Tarceva®, Zelboraf®, Erivedge® and Xeloda®. Prior to joining Genentech, he spent approximately thirteen years at Novartis, Janssen and Eli Lilly in various engineering, manufacturing, sales and marketing and business development roles. He holds a BS in chemical engineering from Vanderbilt University and an MBA from the Wharton Graduate School of Business. Mr. Lee also serves on the board of directors of Bolt Biotherapeutics Inc.

About Catamaran Bio

Catamaran contact:
Mark Boshar, Chief Operating Officer
617-620-9709
mark@catamaranbio.com

Media Contact:
Kathryn Morris, The Yates Network
914-204-6412
kathryn@theyatesnetwork.com