Immune cells are model employees: on duty 24/7, never leaving their post to go on holiday, dutifully guarding the fortress that is our body against invaders, and repairing damage when necessary.

It's a complex machine, though, and it can break down. Should a particularly harmful enemy – like a tumor, for example – choose to strike then, even the most dedicated immune cells are powerless to help...

The Cure for Cancer in Our Genetic Code

Our health is encoded in a series of genetic sequences. In fact, many diseases are the result of malfunctions in our genetic programming.

Cell and gene therapy (CGT) represents the frontier of medical science, the possibility of rewriting life by repairing or replacing mutated genes.

What advantages does CGT have over traditional medical treatment? What is being done in Beijing right now to advance CGT? Join us at the "New Quality Productive Forces in Beijing"CGT-focusedInterview, as we learn more together.

Many approaches to CGT exist, with the fast developing CAR T-cell therapy a standout.https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37495877/

Simply put, the therapy is like a special boot camp--T-cellsare broughtoutof the body, equipped with a unique radar (chimeric antigen receptors, or CAR, to be precise), andare professionally trainedor re-engineered.

After this elite squad has been trained to identify and target cancer cells, it is released back into the body, springing into action to wipe out any cancer cells that might appear.  

Common side effects traditionally associated with chemotherapy and radiation, like hair loss and liver damage, are almost non-existent with this crack team of radars that carefully targets cancer cells and leaves healthy cells alone.

Quality of life is a frequent topic of discussion and one often met in the dilemma of whether or not treatment is worth pursuing. Thanks to the targeted nature of CGT, it's a question that may not burden patients much longer. In the words of Dr. He Ting, the founder of Imunopharm, on the power of CGT: "My hope is for patients to move past the seesaw that a battle with cancer can be and live a normal life again."

Breakthrough: New Hope for Lupus Erythematosusand Colorectal Cancer

Imunopharm is a CGT pioneer raising a powerful army to join the fight against the formidable adversaries that are hematological malignancies, solid tumors, and autoimmune diseases. CARTdrug was approved for clinical trials on October 28 for the treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

SLE is a chronic autoimmune disease that can cause damage to organs and tissuesthroughout the body. Thereis no cure for SLE, whichrequires long-termmedicationand is often referred to as "the incurable cancer". Approximately 1 million people in China suffer from SLE, the largest number of SLE patients in any single country and the second-highest incidence rate.

In clinical studies, CAR T-cell therapy for lupus erythematosus has shown promising results with the potential for long-term efficacy.

This is Imunopharm's first approval to use CAR T-cell therapy drug on autoimmune diseases in clinical trials and its seventh for CAR T-cell therapy drug overall.

The company's technical director has said they intend to expedite clinical trials to hasten submission for market approval to bring patients this new hope at the earliest opportunity.

AnotherCART-cell therapydrugtargeting metastatic colorectal cancer was approved for clinical trials on October 12. The efficacy and safety of the drug has garnered widespread attention from the industry at home and abroad, marking a new phase in the development of CAR T-cell therapies for metastatic colorectal cancer in China. This is Imunopharm's third approval for the use in clinical trials ofaCART-cell therapy drugtargeting solid tumors.

When you enter Imunopharm's headquarters, you are greeted by a wall of beaming smiles that, according to the company'shead, is known locally as "The Wall of Hope."

These are the smiling faces of more than 300 patients who have received CAR T-cell therapy, many of whom have managed to return to their ordinary lives, going back to school and work and cherishing every moment spent with their families. Every smiling face is a testament to how life can be reclaimed and a reflection of hope for the future.

The Supply Depot: the Lifeblood of Life Science

Robust technological support and a vibrant industrial ecosystem are needed if this gentle targeted treatment is to gain widespread adoption.

Cygenta is a generictechnology platformdedicated to providing essential infrastructure for the entire field of CGT. It is a supply depot working behind the scenes to create sustainable momentum with plasmids, viruses,cellsand other production services for long-term CGT development, from research to commercialization, driving technological innovation and upgrades and bringing innovative treatments to patients as quickly as possible. As of the date of this article, Cygenta has successfully supported a total of8 Investigational New Drug (IND) applications for clinical trials.

Cygenta's quality control platform is equipped with more than 80 analytical testing methods to provide clients with a range of quality control services that include analytical method development and validation,sample release testing,raw and auxiliary package testing, and environmental control among others.

The headof Cygentasaid that it's theirwork to help accelerate the development of CGT at home, reduce the costs of drug research and development, and solve problems with rare diseases and malignant tumors where conventional treatments have failed, and to do it at a price patients can afford. As a platform, Cygenta aspires to catalyze growth across the industry, provide services to a greater number of enterprises, bring research outcomes to market more quickly, and benefit a broader range of patients.

Modern medicine shows us that technology is more than cold instruments and data,it is a force that carries warmth and hope. CGT supports patients in their battle against disease while conveying a message of hope to all those yearning for a cure: "You can live a life of quality."

This is whatlove and technologycan give us: comfort and hope for tomorrow.

Just like it says on the Wall of Hope at Imunopharm: "Your smile outshines the most beautiful scenery."

RelatedInformation

Beijing is currently engaged in the development of cutting-edge CGT technologies, leading the global charge into small molecule induced pluripotent stem cell technologies and novel gene-editing tools with independent intellectual property rights. The breakthroughs made in Beijing span several key technologies, industrial-grade common technology platforms, full-process services, and accelerated research and development, and launch of innovations, staking a claim on the new track in the health industry of the future.

(Source: Beijing Municipal Science & Technology Commission, Administrative Commission of Zhongguancun Science Park)