Catamaran Bio to Present Preclinical Data at ASGCT Annual Meeting to Support CAR-NK Approach for Solid Tumors

– Two posters describe features of Catamaran’s CAR-NK platform designed to overcome the immunosuppressive effects of the solid tumor microenvironment –

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Catamaran Bio, Inc., a biotechnology company developing off‑the-shelf chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-NK cell therapies to treat cancer, today announced that the company will present two posters at the American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy (ASGCT) Annual Meeting, being held in Washington, DC, on May 16-18, 2022. Catamaran scientists will present data supporting CAR‑NK cell therapy design strategies to neutralize the immunosuppressive effects of the tumor microenvironment, including use of synthetic biology-enabled chimeric switch receptors which convert the inhibitory signal of TGF-β into positive NK cell activation signals.

“We look forward to sharing our progress in engineering CAR-NK cells to confer them with the functional attributes to enable durable efficacy in solid tumors,” said Vipin Suri, PhD, MBA, Chief Scientific Officer of Catamaran Bio. “Our presentations at ASGCT describe approaches to mitigate the effects of TGF-β, a highly immunosuppressive cytokine known to reduce the anti-tumor activity of immune cells. We will show data on the activities of multiple TGF-β based synthetic receptors that confer a range of benefits to CAR-NK cells and enhance anti-tumor activity in high TGF-β environments.”

Details of the poster presentations are as follows:

Presentation Title: Engineered allogeneic CAR natural killer cells resist tumor microenvironment immunosuppression by expression of a TGF-βR2 dominant negative receptor
Session Title: Cancer - Immunotherapy, Cancer Vaccines I
Session Date & Time: Monday May 16, 2022, 5:30 p.m. ET
Location: Hall D
Abstract Number: 313
Poster Board Number: M-194

Presentation Title: A synthetic biology approach to address the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment: Novel TGF-β switch receptors convert inhibitory signals to enhance NK cell activity
Session Title: Cancer - Immunotherapy, Cancer Vaccines I
Session Date & Time: Monday May 16, 2022, 5:30 p.m. ET
Location: Hall D
Abstract Number: 331
Poster Board Number: M-212

The abstracts will be available on the ASGCT conference website.

About Catamaran Bio

Catamaran Bio is developing novel, off-the-shelf chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-NK cell therapies designed to treat a broad range of cancers, including solid tumors. Our proprietary capabilities enable us to harness the natural cancer-fighting properties of NK cells and enhance and tailor their effectiveness with the power of synthetic biology and innovative non-viral cell engineering. We are using our TAILWIND™ platform, an integrated suite of technologies, to specifically address the end-to-end methods of engineering, processing and manufacturing NK cells and rapidly advance our pipeline of CAR-NK cell therapy programs. Our team combines experienced biopharmaceutical leadership with founding scientists who are pioneers in NK cell biology, engineering, manufacturing and clinical application. Catamaran is backed by leading financial and corporate investors, including SV Health Investors, Sofinnova Partners, Lightstone Ventures, Takeda Ventures, Astellas Venture Management, and the UMN Discovery Capital investment program. For more information, please visit www.catamaranbio.com and follow us on LinkedIn and @CatamaranBio on Twitter.

Catamaran contact:
Mark Boshar, Chief Operating Officer
617-620-9709
mark@catamaranbio.com

Media Contact:
Kathryn Morris, The Yates Network
914-204-6412
kathryn@theyatesnetwork.com