Nanofitins^®, alternative scaffolds for cell therapy

Improving selectivity and safety of CAR-T/NK cells with bi-specific Nanofitins^®

Due to their different features, Nanofitins^® are very attractive targeting modules as CARs (Chimeric Antigen Receptors) for CAR-modified cell therapies. Their small size (7kDa, 20 time smaller than antibodies) and stability represent core advantages over larger antigen recognizing technologies for (i) cell genetic engineering, (ii) CAR-T cell killing activity (due to shorter T or NK cell / Target cell proximity) and (iii) possibility to easily express bi-specific CARs, to develop cell therapies targeting multiple antigens.

In the framework of the NanoModule project, Affilogic already demonstrated co-engagement of bi-specific Nanofitin^®-constructs on cancer cells. This strategy increases selectivity on cancer cells vs. healthy cells and reduces on target / off tumor toxicity.