CELLMIDI: Bringing Hope to Cancer Patients with Affordable and Accessible Gene Therapy
- Industry: Medical
- Research Field: Cell and Gene Therapy
- Product / Service: Cell and gene therapy solution
Knowing More about CELLMIDI
CELLMIDI, the preclinical-stage biotech spinoff from Chulalongkorn University in Thailand, envisions providing a cure for untreatable cancers through cutting-edge gene-modifying cell technology.
(Co-founders of CellMidi: Koramit Suppipat, MD, the CEO and Supannikar Tawinwang, PhD, the Chief Scientific Officer (CSO))
CELLMIDI was founded by two distinguished individuals, a leading cellular therapy physician and a pharmacist. Dr. Koramit Suppipat, the CEO of CELLMIDI, is a pioneer in adoptive cellular therapy in Thailand, holding certification from the American Board in Pediatric Hematology and Oncolog. He brings extensive research experience from his time as a postdoctoral fellow at BCM in Texas.
Dr. Supannikar Tawinwang, the Chief Scientific Officer (CSO), is a regional expert in CAR T-cell development with a pharmacist background and a Ph.D. earned in the United States. She has accumulated years of experience in CAR-T research at the Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, BCM, one of the top three CAR-T research institutes in the U.S.
Together, they have established cell and gene therapy research programs and a GMP-compliant cell manufacturing facility and have conducted clinical trials on CAR T cells at Chulalongkorn University over the past 6 years.
Crucial Need in Cancer
Cancer remains the leading cause of death globally. While progress has been made in cancer treatment outcomes, limited options persist for individuals facing multiple relapses and refractory cancer. The advent of chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy (CAR-T) has been a transformative development in cancer treatment. CAR-T cells have demonstrated marked effectiveness in blood cancers, achieving response rates of 70-90% in cases of relapse and refractory diseases. However, CAR-T-cell efficacy in solid tumors is limited, largely due to the hostile and intricate microenvironment that can suppress CAR T-cell function.
CELLMIDI offers a groundbreaking solution to enhance CAR T-cell function, enabling them to withstand and overcome immune suppression within solid tumors. This is achieved through their proprietary PLUS CAR technology. The PLUS CAR T prototype, CMD03 CAR T cells, demonstrates a remarkable ability to target brain tumors and other solid cancers with significantly enhanced activity and effectiveness.
The company has successfully completed preclinical studies on CMD03, demonstrating its superior antitumor activity compared to standard CAR T cells in animal models of brain cancers. CELLMIDI secured seed funding of 1 million USD from Chulalongkorn University (CU) to conduct a phase 1 first-in-human clinical trial aimed at establishing the safety and early efficacy of this groundbreaking technology.
By harnessing the cutting-edge technology of cell and gene therapy, CELLMIDI is determined to provide cost-effective and accessible solutions for patients worldwide who face unmet medical needs. This forward-thinking approach represents a significant step toward addressing these pressing healthcare challenges.