China-based Gracell Biotechnologies Inc’s (Nasdaq.GRCL) FasTCAR technology platform has been named the winner of this year’s Fierce Life Sciences Innovation Award. The announcement was made by Gracell CEO William Wei Cao during the firm’s Q3 earnings conference call. The FasTCAR platform enables the “next-day manufacture” of autologous chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapies, a significant advancement over the standard CAR-T development process that typically requires 1-2 weeks.
Award Details
Hosted by the US-based Fierce Pharma industry media platform, the Fierce Innovation Awards are selected annually by a panel of independent judges. The awards aim to highlight organizations that have demonstrated innovative technologies and services with the potential to make a significant impact on healthcare and life sciences companies. Last year’s award in the same category went to US-based Arvinas for its PROTAC targeted protein degradation development platform.
CEO Commentary
Dr. Cao commented on the award, stating, “FasTCAR was developed with a deep understanding of the challenges faced by conventional CAR T, and we firmly believe this technology, as well as the BCMA/CD19 dual-targeting CAR T GC012F developed on the FasTCAR platform, represent the innovation that could broaden the use and accessibility of CAR T.”
Future Plans
According to Gracell’s Q3 report, the company plans to file first INDs to both the US FDA and China’s NMPA for GC012F in relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (r/r MM) during Q4 this year. The BCMA/CD19 CAR-T has been the focus of investigator-initiated studies in both newly diagnosed and r/r MM as well as B-cell non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.-Fineline Info & Tech
