Eurostars, a European joint programme co-funded by the national budgets of several EUREKA countries and by the European Union through Horizon 2020, has awarded funding to the project “A Novel Modified Natural Killer Cell Immunotherapy for the Treatment of Solid Tumours”, also known as MODIFY-NK.
Selected through a highly competitive evaluation process, MODIFY-NK brings together a European consortium composed of Glycostem Therapeutics BV in the Netherlands, YUMAB GmbH in Germany, Explicyte in France, and OZ Biosciences SAS in France.
Developing a New Allogeneic CAR-NK Cell Therapy
The MODIFY-NK consortium aims to develop a novel cell-based immunotherapy for the treatment of solid tumours using allogeneic natural killer cells engineered to express chimeric antigen receptors.
Unlike autologous cell therapy approaches, which require the isolation, modification, and expansion of each patient’s own immune cells, this allogeneic strategy is designed to use NK cells derived from a patient-independent donor. This approach has the potential to support the development of an off-the-shelf cellular immunotherapy platform for hard-to-treat solid tumours.
The chimeric antigen receptors are designed to improve tumour targeting and enhance the killing potential of NK cells against solid tumour cells.
Explicyte’s Role in Preclinical Immuno-Oncology Validation
As part of the consortium, Explicyte will contribute its expertise in preclinical immuno-oncology models and functional assay development to support the evaluation of the CAR-NK cell product.
Explicyte’s role is aligned with its core activity as a French Contract Research Organisation specialized in the preclinical evaluation of novel immuno-oncology candidate compounds. The company brings established capabilities in in vitro cell-based assays, including primary cell culture systems and innovative readout measurements, as well as in vivo tumour models designed to evaluate anti-tumour efficacy in clinically relevant settings.
Within MODIFY-NK, this expertise will support the preclinical assessment of the therapeutic candidate, helping to characterize its anti-tumour activity and validate its efficacy in a solid tumour model before progression toward clinical development.
A European Consortium Combining Complementary Technologies
The project combines complementary expertise across the consortium:
- Glycostem Therapeutics BV brings its clinical-stage NK cell platform and experience in allogeneic cellular immunotherapy.
- YUMAB GmbH contributes its antibody discovery and engineering expertise, supporting the development of targeting components for the CAR-NK approach.
- OZ Biosciences SAS provides innovative transfection and transduction technologies designed to enable efficient genetic engineering of therapeutic cells.
- Explicyte contributes preclinical immuno-oncology expertise, including functional in vitro and in vivo models for assessing therapeutic activity.
Together, the partners aim to deliver a clinical-grade CAR-NK cell product whose efficacy will be validated in a preclinical solid tumour model. The therapy is expected to be ready for clinical studies within 24 months after completion of the project.
A €3.6 Million Eurostars-Funded Programme
The total grant amounts to €3,626,860 for the three-year programme.
“Combining the key expertise of the consortium members will bring innovative insights in the active field of immuno-oncology research. We are looking forward to initiating this strategic project, taking advantage of motivating technical challenges to reach attractive therapeutic outcomes,” said Alban Bessede, CEO of Explicyte.
About Explicyte
Explicyte is a French Contract Research Organisation specialized in preclinical and translational immuno-oncology. The company develops and operates in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo models to evaluate the efficacy and mechanism of action of novel therapeutic candidates, including immunomodulatory compounds, antibodies, and cellular immunotherapies.
Through its contribution to MODIFY-NK, Explicyte reinforces its commitment to supporting innovative cancer immunotherapy programmes from early preclinical validation to translational development.