Pioneering In Vivo CAR T Cell Therapies
Our programs reflect our commitment to improving the treatment experience for patients. Our hope at Umoja is to find in vivo solutions that will fulfill the promise of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapies for every patient in need.
Umoja’s Platform: In Vivo Generation of CAR T Cells Through Our VivoVecTM Drug Products
Umoja’s flagship platform, VivoVec, enables the in vivo generation of CAR T cells within the patient’s body, bypassing the need for CAR T cell production outside of the body and saving precious time and complexity.19,20
VivoVec aims to simplify, increase the effectiveness, decrease the cost, and speed up the delivery of CAR T cell therapies to patients. Our drug product will be available immediately to patients, removing the typical weeks-to-months-long process associated with today’s ex vivo CAR T cell therapies. VivoVec is designed to generate CAR T cells in the patient’s body and to eliminate the need for lymphodepleting chemotherapy.
The VivoVec platform utilizes a lentiviral vector delivery system and includes the following unique features.
- Multi-domain fusion (MDF) surface engineering: Our proprietary MDF technology augments VivoVec particles’ binding, activation, and transduction of T cells19
- Cocal fusion glycoprotein pseudotyping: The cocal fusion glycoprotein is resistant to human serum inactivation, enabling VivoVec-based drug products to achieve a high potency19
- Modular and flexible: VivoVec can be used to efficiently deliver any CAR payload, targeting an array of surface targets
- RACRTM platform for enhanced potency: VivoVec can be combined with RACR (rapamycin-activated cytokine receptor) to provide enhanced survival and expansion to VivoVec-engineered immune cells20
References: 1. Srivastava S, et al. Immunotargets Ther. 2024:13:413-433. 2. Odstrcil MS, et al. Blood Rev. 2024:63:101136. 3. Dias J, et al. Mol Ther Methods Clin Dev. 2024;32(2):101250. 4. Battiwalla M, et al. Blood Adv. 2024. Online ahead of print. 5. Mikhael J, et al. JCO Oncol. Pract. 2022;18(12):800-807. 6. Vera DG, et al. Hum Vaccin Immunother. 2024;20(1):2378543. 7. Olejarz W, et al. Int J Mol Sci. 2024;25(14):7743. 8. Zhou D, et al. Cancer Med. 2024;13(11):e7375. 9. Imai Y. Int J Hematol. 2024;120(1):3-5. 10. Elmarasi M, et al. Int Immunopharmacol. 2024:135:112312. 11. Shahzad M, et al. Front Immunol. 2023:14:1152457. 12. Yu M, et al. Hum Gene Ther. 2023;34(5-6):192-202. 13. Yang Q, et al. Int J Med Sci. 2021;18(8):1786-1797. 14. Zhang L, et al. Ann Med. 2021;53(1):1547-1559. 15. Cusatis R, et al. Transplant Cell Ther. 2024:S2666-6367(24)00482-2. 16. Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Facts and Statistics Overview. Accessed January 2, 2025. https://www.lls.org/facts-and-statistics/facts-and-statistics-overview#Hodgkin%20(HL)%20and%20Non-Hodgkin%20(NHL)%20Lymphoma 17. Hoffman MS, et al. Transplant Cell Ther. 2023;29(7):440-448. 18. Dhaliwal S, et al. Cureus. 2024;16(5):e59951. 19. Nicolai CJ, et al. Blood. 2024;144(9):977-987. 20. Michels KR, et al. J Immunother Cancer. 2023;11(3):e006292. 21. Cambier C, et al. Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer. 2023;11:doi: 10.1136/jitc-2023-SITC2023.0236. 22. O’Hara S, et al. Cancer Res. 2022;82(12_suppl):547.
A Powerful Therapeutic Approach
These core platforms work together in a complementary way. First, we apply VivoVec and the RACR/CAR payload architecture to stimulate the body to grow tumor-fighting T cells. We then deploy TumorTags to direct these tumor-fighting T cells to attack the tumor. The precision and control afforded by the integrated mechanisms of action of the platforms maximize the potential therapeutic effect while minimizing the risk of adverse events in the patient.
