Gene Modified Allogeneic MSCs and NK Cells
Philip Lee (Senti Biosciences) introduced his company’s “gene circuit” platform, which is a genetic “logic system” created by a method of combining DNA.
Lee also discussed a case study focused on the use engineered mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) to treat solid tumors through lentiviral vector transduction.
The cells were derived from bone marrow and engineered to express two immune-stimulated payloads (interleukins 12 and 21).
Data from preclinical trials that showed that the combination of those payloads is highly potent and that it yields a robust antitumor response across every tumor model evaluated.
Lee presented his company’s strategy for transferring its genetic modification process to good manufacturing practice (GMP) scales.
He also showed how the MSC platform can be expanded to other gene-modified cell therapies. The second study focused on the early stage development an allogeneic natural killer (NK) cell treatment for cancer.
Lee provided an overview of the Senti Biosciences’s method for robust cell isolation and cryopreservation and emphasized the company’s continued work in optimizing its viral vector process and NK cell transduction and expansion strategies.
For overviews of more presentations from the Gene Therapy tracks, check out BioProcess International’s Gene Therapy Featured Report published in the November/December 2020 issue.
