Melbourne, Australia, 27 August 2025 – Cartherics Pty Ltd (“Cartherics” or “Company”), a biotechnology company developing off-the-shelf immune cell therapies focusing on high-impact women’s diseases, with lead programs in ovarian cancer and endometriosis, today announced the granting of a patent for ‘Method for Providing Immune Cells with Enhanced Function’ by the Chinese Patent Office.
This patent covers induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) with a specific gene knock out of the adenosine A2A receptor (A2AR). This receptor is critical for inhibiting immune cell function in the tumour microenvironment of solid tumours.
Adenosine, which is found in high levels in solid tumours, suppresses the activity of immune cells like natural killer (NK) cells. Therefore, removing the A2A receptor from Cartherics’ NK cells should help these cells remain active in the tumour microenvironment.
This patent secures a proprietary position for multiple development candidates in Cartherics’ pipeline and strengthens the company’s already robust IP position. With a large and growing market, China's patent protection system offers substantial commercial value for effective patents.
Cartherics’ CEO, Prof. Alan Trounson AO, commented:”Cartherics’ strategy for destroying solid tumours involves editing critical genes in our cell products to enable the immune system to operate as designed to control cancer growth. Blocking the A2AR gene is likely to be a significant addition to our strategic arsenal against cancer.”
Cartherics is advancing its mission to transform women’s health through innovative, off-the-shelf immunotherapies, targeting high-need indications such as ovarian cancer, triple negative breast cancer, and endometriosis. With a robust pipeline and a clear regulatory pathway, the company is well-positioned to deliver impactful therapies to markets with significant unmet clinical need and commercial potential.
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About Cartherics
Cartherics Pty Ltd is a privately held biotechnology company based in Melbourne, Australia developing off-the-shelf immune cell therapies focusing on high-impact women’s diseases, with lead programs in ovarian cancer and endometriosis. The Company’s allogeneic (“off-the-shelf”) cell platform is based upon induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) generated from donated cord blood that can be differentiated into NK cells, T cells and other cells of the immune system. The iPSCs are genetically engineered at specific “safe harbour” genomic sites to provide enhanced function for the derived NK and other immune cells. The Company’s lead product, CTH-401, is a CAR-iNK cell product. It carries a CAR directed against TAG-72, a well-validated tumour target, along with the deletion of two genes associated with immunosuppression. The company has a strong pipeline of additional novel CAR-immune cell products tailored to disrupt a variety of cancers including; ovarian, triple negative breast, pancreatic and other solid tumours; and is also targeting severe endometriosis and Alzheimer’s Disease/traumatic brain injury with specific NK cell products.
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Media contact
Christine Filippis
Teraze Communications
Phone: +61 419 119 866
Email: christine@teraze.com.au