HCW Biologics Inc. (NASDAQ: HCWB) announced research results published in Science Advances demonstrating the potential of its compound HCW9206 for manufacturing CAR-T cell therapies. The study was conducted by researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine led by Harris Goldstein.

The research showed that HCW9206, a multi-cytokine fusion protein, can generate CAR-T cells with enhanced functionality compared to conventional manufacturing methods. In experimental models, CAR-T cells produced using HCW9206 demonstrated anti-tumor activity against leukemia and antiviral potency against HIV.

According to the study, HCW9206 enables production of CAR-T cells enriched with long-lived T-memory stem cells, which comprised 50% or more of the cell population. The compound synergizes effects of three immune-stimulatory cytokines - IL-7, IL-15, and IL-21 - in a single molecule.

Current CAR-T manufacturing relies on anti-CD3/anti-CD28/IL-2-based approaches, which generate shorter-lived CAR-T cells. The research suggests HCW9206 could provide a more streamlined manufacturing process that may reduce costs while improving cell persistence and functionality.

In humanized mouse models, CAR-T cells manufactured with HCW9206 showed superior performance compared to those produced using standard methods. The study tested the approach against both HIV-1 infection using cells from people living with HIV and B-cell leukemia models.

HCW Biologics described HCW9206 as a commercial-ready compound. The company focuses on developing immunotherapies for autoimmune diseases, cancer, and senescence-associated conditions.

The research was published in Science Advances with the title "IL-7/IL-15/IL-21 cytokine-fusion scaffold generates highly functional CAR-T cells enriched in long-lived T memory stem cells." The study authors included researchers from HCW Biologics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Caring Cross, and University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.