CancerRop said Monday that its subsidiary MJ Cellbio has licensed in a CAR-T source technology by concluding a technology transfer agreement with Korea University Industrial Academic Cooperation Center (KUIACC).

Under the accord, MJ Cellbio has secured three patents and entire know-how related to protective antigen (PA)-based CAR-T development technology that can attack solid cancers, developed by Professor Lee Mi-kyung’s team at KUIACC.

Unlike existing technologies, the CAR-T source technology based on anthrax antigens of Professor Lee's team uses a modified anthrax antigen instead of antibodies that minimizes the toxicity of existing immunotherapeutic agents and maximizes cancer-specific aggressiveness and efficacy.

Through this technology, MJ Cellbio will go all out to develop CAR-T cells based on new antigens, CancerRop said.

MJ Cellbio also plans to develop a general-purpose CAR-T for patients, who need to use only their immune cells, which can overcome the drawbacks of CAR-T.

"With Professor Lee's CAR-T technology and Bluebird Bio's CTO Lee Baek-seung joining the company as its chief technology officer, we have acquired the core technology to enhance cell therapy and the manufacturing process,” a company official said. "

The acquired technology also solves the challenges associated with efficacy, duration, and cost, which are crucial elements in the development and production of cell therapy products, the official added.

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