GC LabCell and Feldan Therapeutics announce license agreement to develop next-generation NK cells for immunotherapy using Feldan Shuttle technology

SEOUL, South Korea and QUÉBEC CITY, June 27, 2018 /CNW Telbec/ - GC LabCell (hereafter "GCLC") and Feldan Therapeutics (hereafter "Feldan") announced an agreement today granting GCLC exclusive rights to use the Feldan Shuttle platform in developing and manufacturing genetically engineered Natural Killer cells ("NK cells") for human oncology.

GCLC has an international expertise in the development of NK-cell-based therapeutics, while Feldan has introduced an innovative peptide-based delivery system that enables highly efficient transduction of proteins into mammalian cells (the Feldan Shuttle platform). Since 2016, the two companies have collaborated to develop off-the-shelf primary NK cells that are hyperactive on tumor cells.

Under the terms of this agreement, GCLC will make an undisclosed upfront payment to Feldan, as well as development and approval milestone payments. Further, Feldan will receive royalties upon product sales.

"We are very proud of today's announcement as it reflects the strength of our partnership with GCLC and the potential of the Feldan Shuttle platform," said Francois-Thomas Michaud, PhD. Eng, Chief-executive officer of Feldan. "This alliance with a world-class partner will allow therapeutic applications of Feldan's technology for the benefit of patients – this is the core of our business strategy."

"GCLC has never hesitated to implement innovative technologies into its NK assets, reinforcing its position as a global leader in the NK-cell-therapy arena," said Dae-Woo Park, Chief-executive officer of GCLC. "We believe that the Feldan Shuttle system is one of these innovative technologies, which will work in great synergy with GCLC's NK-cell-therapy platform. We expect this partnership will result in the start of a new era of innovative immune-cell therapies.  

About GC LabCell :
GC LabCell ("GCLC") is a cell-therapy-specialized company focusing on NK cells and stem-cell therapeutics. GCLC is a subsidiary of GC Holdings, Corp., whose subsidiaries are engaged in human vaccines, antibody therapeutics, CTL-based adoptive immunotherapy, and clinical laboratory business. GCLC was founded in June 2011 from a GC Labs spin-off and an NK-cell-based immunotherapy platform licensed from the MOGAM Biotechnology Institute.

Recently, the GCLC's advanced NK-cell-based platform has been integrated into a manufacturing facility that is completely GMP compliant with the Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety. A Phase I clinical trial was successfully completed in Korea in 2012. Ex vivo-expanded allogeneic highly activated NK cells (MG4101) are currently being studied in a Phase II trial for patients with HCC (Hepatocellular carcinoma) in Korea. GCLC is committed to pioneering NK-cell-based next-generation adoptive cellular immunotherapy including CAR-NK. GCLC is also concentrating its efforts on research and development of stem-cell therapy to treat incurable inflammatory diseases.

About Feldan Therapeutics :
Feldan Therapeutics has developed a patented peptide-based technology platform, the Feldan Shuttle, which enables fast and safe intracellular delivery. The platform has been successfully used in both ex vivo and in vivo applications. Feldan Therapeutics's mission is to develop leading-edge therapeutic applications based on its proprietary platform, as demonstrated by its current pipeline of clinical programs taking advantage of the unique characteristics of the Shuttle.

For more information :	http://www.gclabcell.com/
	www.feldan.com

SOURCE Feldan Therapeutics

Corporate contacts: GC LabCell: Dae-Woo Park, Chief-executive officer, Green Cross LabCell Corp., T: [phone], [email protected]; Feldan Therapeutics: Francois-Thomas Michaud, PhD. Eng., Chief-executive officer, Feldan Therapeutics, Inc., T: [phone], [email protected]