GC Cell and Lukas Biomedical have established a global cooperation agreement to expand their innovative cell therapy efforts, including in South Korea and Taiwan.
Headquartered in South Korea, GC Cell is a cell and gene therapy company. It is a subsidiary of the Korean pharmaceutical group GC Biopharma.
Lukas Biomedical, based in Taiwan, focuses on advancing its research and development of LuLym-T cell therapy.
The collaboration between GC Cell and Lukas Biomedical aims to enhance awareness and access to autologous T cell therapy by leveraging their respective strengths in cell treatment.
It involves sharing research projects, clinical trial data, and regulatory knowledge across multiple countries.
By focusing on clinical research, market development, and addressing various diseases, the collaboration seeks to accelerate drug development. It also aims to create a platform for precision medicine, ultimately expanding patient access to advanced cell therapies.
GC Cell’s Immuncell-LC autologous T cell therapy, which underwent successful clinical trials in Japan and Korea, received approval in 2007 from South Korea’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) after favourable Phase 4 trials.
GC Cell CEO James Park said: “This strategic cooperation agreement represents a pivotal milestone in accelerating the advancement of innovative cell therapies in Korea and Taiwan and also in establishing global network and ecosystem of Cell and Gene Therapy.
“Looking ahead, we are committed to accelerating the global expansion of Immuncell-LC through the continuous exchange of clinical research data and the establishment of a strong, long-term partnership between our two companies.”
Lukas Biomedical’s LuLym-T memory T cell cultivation technology was originally developed at the Japanese National Cancer Center and GC LTEC (formerly Lymphotec).
The Taiwanese firm, which licensed the technology, is now advancing it in Taiwan for market expansion and further development.
Lukas Biomedical and GC Cell will work together through a joint committee to share expertise and experience in researching memory T cell technology for various cancers in their respective countries.
The collaboration includes exchanging clinical and commercial knowledge, insights, and strategies, as well as exploring cross-licensing opportunities and conducting joint clinical trials. Additionally, the partners will explore potential new international markets and joint investment opportunities.
Lukas Biomedical chairman Eric Tang said: “We have accumulated vast clinical experience in concomitant use of LuLym-T cell together with conventional treatment, such as: chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and checkpoint inhibitors.
“We are able to achieve significant prognostic improvements using a multi-modality treatment paradigm for advanced stage cancers and we hope we will be able to help more cancer patients in need by sharing our experience with other countries.”
