GC Cell said Thursday that it has signed a co-development agreement with Lunit, a medical AI company, for AB-201, GC Cell's allogeneic chimeric antigen receptor-natural killer (CAR-NK) cell therapy targeting solid tumors.

Under this accord, GC Cell will conduct a phase 1 study of AB-201 by utilizing Lunit's AI biomarker, Lunit SCOPE IO, which Lunit is developing.

While immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining, one of the commonly used tests for biomarker identification, is based on human judgment, the research technique using Lunit SCOPE IO, an AI pathology analysis technology platform, has the advantage of studying more advanced human epithelial growth factor receptor type 2 (HER2) expression through quantified data.

AB-201 is an off-the-shelf (OTS), cryopreserved, allogeneic CAR-NK cell therapy consisting of cord blood-derived NK cells loaded with a CAR that targets HER2, which is overexpressed in breast, ovarian, and gastric cancers.

According to GC Cell, compared to conventional NK cells, which disappear from the body within two to three weeks after being injected into patients, AB-201 can maximize persistence in the body with an excellent complete remission (CR).

As AB-201 targets the HER2 factor, GC Cell expects to obtain accurate and reliable data by utilizing Lunit's AI technology.

In October, GC Cell submitted an IND application for AB-201’s phase 1 study to the Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) and the Australian Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC).

"Recently, global collaborations focused on overcoming cancer, such as Cancer X, have been on the rise," said James Park, CEO of GC Cell. "We are excited to partner with a leading AI company like Lunit through this collaborative research agreement, anticipating proactive measures for optimizing cancer treatment through AI applications."

"This agreement aims to enhance the potential of developing new drugs through the convergence of two specialized fields, AI and drugs," said Brandon Suh, CEO of Lunit. "By utilizing Lunit's advanced AI technology as a predictive biomarker for treatment, which is an important factor of GC Cell's drug development, we expect to develop more precise and rapid cancer treatments."

GC Cell is engaged in the research and development of cell therapy, including the production and sales of Immuncell-LC, an anti-cancer immune cell therapy, a contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) specialized in cell and gene therapy (CGT), a specimen testing business, and a biological logistics business.