CHA Biotech’s Next-Gen NK Cell Therapy Gets Development Boost from KDDF

KDDF, a government-backed agency overseeing drug development projects in South Korea's pharmaceutical and biotech sectors, will provide funding for the research and development of CBT101 for two years. CHA Biotech plans to establish large-scale production methods for CBT101, gather data for phase 2 clinical trials, and secure investigational new drug (IND) approval to move forward with the trials.

CBT101 is a treatment pipeline for NK cell therapy targeting recurrent glioblastoma (rGBM). This therapy involves isolating NK cells, which are key components of the innate immune system, from a patient's blood and expanding them outside the body. In September 2020, the U.S. FDA granted orphan drug designation to CBT101. According to CHA Niotech, clinical trials initiated by investigators have shown that CBT101 can extend survival in rGBM patients and have confirmed its safety and tolerability in phase 1 trials involving patients with solid tumours.

Oh Sang-hoon, CEO of  CHA Biotech, said “We will leverage this government project to further advance our technologies, including the development of large-scale production processes, and accelerate the pace of commercialization of our products,” said Oh Sang-hoon, CEO of CHA Biotech.