TiCARos, a developer of CAR-T therapies, said it has recently been selected to join JLABS, a global accelerator platform operated by pharmaceutical company Johnson & Johnson Innovations.

JLABS is a specialized accelerator organization within Johnson & Johnson with 11 locations worldwide. JLABS Korea, established this year, has been selected to host the global accelerator platform of the Ministry of Health and Welfare to support Korean pharmaceutical, biotech, and medical device companies to enter global markets.

JLABS Korea selects applicants based on five criteria -- technological innovation, scientific and technological capabilities, risk management capabilities, addressing unmet needs, and transparency and ethics. Selected companies are assigned a team of mentors from J&J and receive support in research, development, business development, clinical research, and funding.

“Throughout the selection process and subsequent work with J&J, we were impressed with the global company's approach, rich database, and genuine commitment to the project. We look forward to leveraging Johnson & Johnson's drug development know-how and investment network to increase the success and speed of our drug development,” TiCARos CEO Lee Jae-won said.

TiCARos has three platform technologies -- CLIP CAR, Converter CAR, and Switchable CAR-T -- to improve the efficacy and safety of CAR-T therapies. It is conducting phase I clinical trials of its pipeline with CLIP CAR technology at Seoul National University Hospital, Severance Hospital, National Cancer Center, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, and Samsung Medical Center.