ScaleReady, in partnership with Wilson Wolf Manufacturing and Bio-Techne Corporation (NASDAQ: TECH), has announced that Luminary Therapeutics has been awarded a $300,000 G-Rex® Grant. This funding will facilitate rapid process development and IND-enabling studies for several novel CAR γδ T cell therapies, which will be assessed in Phase 1 clinical trials targeting various autoimmune conditions.
Luminary’s CAR γδ T cell therapies uniquely combine the Vδ1 and Vδ2 subsets, setting them apart from other developers in the γδ T cell therapy space. This innovative approach aims to enhance cytotoxicity, increase adaptive capacity, and improve persistence. Additionally, Luminary employs an “immune cloaking” mechanism that helps these γδ T cells evade the host’s immune response by reducing the expression of MHC class I and II on their surfaces. The company also utilizes Bio-Techne’s advanced gene engineering technology, TcBuster™, which streamlines the clinical translation of cell therapy products, thereby reducing both time and costs. Luminary has previously shown that its CAR γδ T cell therapies can produce 180-200 patient doses per manufacturing run at a cost of under $10,000 per product.
“We are extremely grateful to be a recipient of the G-Rex Grant Program,” stated Jeff Liter, CEO of Luminary Therapeutics. “This innovative, non-dilutive funding mechanism aligns the interests of all stakeholders and will directly enhance our ability to generate clinically significant data necessary for attracting further investment to advance our γδ T cell pipeline.”
John Wilson, CEO of Wilson Wolf Manufacturing and co-inventor of G-Rex, added, “We’re pleased to support Luminary Therapeutics with this G-Rex Grant. The program will expedite the clinical application of Luminary’s γδ T cell therapies, exemplifying how the G-Rex Grant Program can save time and resources for its recipients.”
With the G-Rex Grant, Luminary plans to optimize several CAR γδ T cell therapies, focusing on improving resilience, safety, and functionality. This will include incorporating safety switches, innovative co-stimulatory domains, endogenous growth factor production, and MHC-I/II inhibitory elements. Large-scale, cGMP-compliant manufacturing will be conducted to support multiple Investigational New Drug (IND) applications, which are expected to be submitted to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the initiation of Phase 1 clinical trials assessing the safety and efficacy of these CAR γδ T cell therapies in treating a range of autoimmune diseases.
ScaleReady’s G-Rex Grant Program is a $20 million initiative aimed at advancing cell and gene-modified cell therapy (CGT) development and manufacturing by providing grants of up to $300,000. Recipients of the G-Rex Grant also gain access to exclusive support from ScaleReady’s expanding consortium of partners, which offer best-in-class tools, technologies, and expertise in cGMP manufacturing, quality and regulatory affairs, CGT business operations, and more.
