Artec is a developer of technology to convert stem cells to natural killer (NK) cells, which are less toxic and more efficient than other platforms for cellular immunotherapy. The company joined Helix 51, the first incubator of its kind in Lake County, Illinois, in 2022. "RFU is helping scientists make the leap from discovery to commercialization of urgently needed new therapeutics," said Dr. Ronald Kaplan, executive vice president for research. "We're offering the affordable wet-lab space and supportive programming that young companies need to grow, garner investment and translate their research into effective treatments for difficult-to-treat diseases."
The company's novel therapeutic approach — creating NK cells from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) to target GBM — is outlined in "In Vitro Vascular Differentiation System Efficiently Produces Natural Killer Cells for Cancer Immunotherapies," in the journal OncoImmunology. "Our research assessed the authenticity, efficacy and toxicity of hPSCs-NK in vitro and in vivo, revealing advantages over peripheral blood-derived NK cells that include diminished checkpoint inhibition signaling and enhanced metabolic gene expression," said Artec Co-Founder and CEO Vasiliy Galat, PhD. "It also showed significant efficacy against cancers like leukemias and lymphoma, in addition to GBM." Unlike CAR-T cells, which are customized for individual patients, NK cells can be transferred between patients, making them a potentially universal treatment. They do not attack healthy cells in another individual, and they do not induce cytokine storms. Their role, as part of the innate immune system, is to kill unhealthy and virally infected cells and eliminate early signs of cancer. NK cells — both natural and engineered — are safer and more patient-friendly and represent the next wave of cancer therapy. ABOUT ROSALIND FRANKLIN UNIVERSITY
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Learn more about ARTEC at artecbiotech.com.
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