A powerful weapon against cancer, CytoArm's innovative Armed-T technology has captured worldwide attention

The global healthcare industry was amazed when a little girl with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia was cured after being treated with chimeric antigen receptor (CAR-T) cell therapies ) in 2012.

Dr. Kuo-Hsiang Chuang, who had just started his work at the University Institute of Pharmacognosy of Taipei Medical University (TMU), believed that CAR-T would help doctors and patients successfully fight against the cancer. However, CAR-T, mainly based on retrovirus gene delivery, leaves much room for improvement. So Dr. Chuang developed the unique “Armed-T” technology and founded CytoArm in 2020, which now offers five T cell products against different cancers based on the Armed-T cell platform.

CAR-T provides effective results but can be improved

According to a WHO report published on February 1, 2024, nearly 20 million new cases of cancer were recorded in 2022, as well as 9.7 million deaths from cancer. It is no exaggeration to consider cancer the greatest threat to human health. This is also why the world, including the healthcare industry, is interested in CAR-T after the successful treatment of the little girl with leukemia in 2012.

According to Dr. Chuang, CAR-T uses genetic engineering technologies to modify the patient's immune cells, called T cells, to effectively attack the cancer. T cells are collected from the patient and engineered in the laboratory to produce proteins on their surface called chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) using retrovirus gene delivery.

Genetically engineered CAR-T cells can accurately identify tumor-specific antigens. Once deployed in the patient's body, CAR-T cells can specifically bind to and destroy cancer cells.

The FDA approved the first CAR-T therapy in 2017, which was found to provide promising results for blood cancers and impressive survival results. However, Dr. Chuang highlighted the risks of CAR-T. First, it uses retroviral vectors to deliver genes into T cells, which could provoke an unexpected immune response or cause the T cells to mutate.

Additionally, CAR-T costs will remain high, as the processes of collecting, re-engineering, and re-delivering T cells require a team of highly specialized professionals and expensive laboratory equipment. The processes of genetic (or viral) re-engineering and cell culture are also very difficult. Last but not least, CAR-T patents are owned by a small group of big pharmaceutical players, preventing the entry of new entrants with huge licensing fees or possible infringement lawsuits.

Armed-T fights cancer even more effectively

CytoArm's Armed-T technology solves all of the above problems. According to Dr. Chuang, with Armed-T therapy, specific molecules are attached to the surface of the patient's T cells, much like putting armor on the T cells like Iron Man, described by Dr. Chuang.

The armed T cells are then equipped to identify and destroy cancer cells. Unlike CAR-T therapies that require 30 days to culture or reengineer the virus, it takes only 10 days to produce high-purity anti-cancer Armed-T cells and the therapeutic results are significantly more promising. To top it all off, since no retrovirus gene delivery or genome editing techniques are used, Armed-T cells are free from cancerization or mutation risks, making Armed-T a choice safer treatment for patients.

In general, it is not easy for genetic reengineering techniques to achieve high purity. CytoArm's Armed-T technology generates anti-cancer cells with an impressive purity of over 90%. Regarding costs, without requiring retrovirus gene delivery, CytoArm can offer Armed-T technology at more affordable prices, allowing more patients to receive the treatment.

Armed-T technology has another advantage, Dr. Chuang noted. Molecules attached to the surface of the T cell can be tailored to allow the T cell to target and kill a specific type of cancer cell.

CytoArm has developed five Armed-T products: CTA-01, CTA-02, CTA-03, CTA-04 and CTA-06. Experiments on laboratory mice with human B-cell leukemia indicate that CTA-01 can quickly target and effectively destroy B-cell leukemia cancer cells without any obvious signs of recurrence. CTA-03 is for the treatment of prostate cancer and CTA-04 is for the treatment of metastatic breast carcinoma.

CytoArm's first Armed-T product, CTA-02, is intended for the treatment of incurable colorectal cancer associated with mutations in the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene or its downstream effectors. In the first half of 2024, CytoArm is expected to submit applications for CTA-02 clinical trials in Taiwan, Singapore and the United States.

Poised to become a powerful weapon against cancer, CytoArm's Armed-T technology captured worldwide attention after its introduction. Dr. Chuang singled out Taiwan's maturing startup ecosystem as a key contributor to CytoArm's success.

As a TMU-incubated startup, CytoArm developed a patent plan with TMU's guidance from its inception. He also contacted a US intellectual property company for advice and confirmation that Armed-T does not infringe on the CAR-T patents of big pharmaceutical players, allowing the company to avoid obstacles that could hamper his research.

Industry, government and academia are stepping up efforts to support innovations and startups. Since CytoArm's founding in 2020, capital investments, professional advice, and market-driven strategies have all fueled the company's growth. In the future, Dr. Chuang suggests that the government strengthen research subsidies and talent incubation policies and encourage the commercialization of university research to reinvigorate Taiwan's industry.

Armed-T products from CytoArm. The first product, CTA-02, is intended for the treatment of incurable colorectal cancer associated with mutations in the EGFR gene or its downstream effectors. Phase I clinical trials are expected to begin in 2024. They may be used to treat pancreatic cancer, lung cancer, TNBC and other types of cancer in the future.