Eterna Therapeutics Announces Research Collaboration to Develop Advanced Gene-Edited iPS Cell Therapies

Eterna Therapeutics Inc. recently announced it has entered into a sponsored research agreement with Michael Andreeff, MD, PhD, Professor of Leukemia at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center (MD Anderson).

Under the agreement, Dr. Andreeff will evaluate the capacity of Eterna’s gene-edited induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell therapeutic candidates to stimulate enhanced immune responses, including their effects on various aspects of T-cell mediated immunity, and to promote multilineage differentiation and hematopoietic regeneration in vivo. The Company anticipates that this work will accelerate the development of these therapeutic candidates for the treatment of various diseases including acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and solid tumors. Dr. Andreeff is a member of Eterna’s Scientific Advisory Board.

“We are excited to announce this research agreement to advance a central pillar of Eterna’s pipeline: allogeneic cell therapies for the treatment of cancer,” said Matt Angel, PhD, Interim Chief Executive Officer of Eterna. “This work has the potential to accelerate and expand the applications of the allogeneic cell therapy platform that we obtained last year through our acquisition of Novellus Therapeutics.”

Eterna’s cells, which are made using mRNA-based cell reprogramming and gene editing methods, have been shown to possess enhanced immunomodulatory capacity as described by Hashimoto, et al at the International Society for Cell & Gene Therapy 2021 Annual Meeting, and Eterna believes the advantages of its cells include exceptional manufacturing consistency due to the use of a highly characterized clonal iPS cell source.

“Eterna’s completely non-viral approach to cell engineering avoids the risks inherent in other methods,” said Roger Sidhu, MD, Chief Medical Officer of Eterna. “We are particularly interested in testing the ability of these cells to home to target tissues and enhance T-cell mediated immunity and hematopoietic regeneration.”

Dr. Andreeff receives compensation as a member of Eterna Therapeutics’ Scientific Advisory Board, and this financial relationship has been disclosed to MD Anderson’s Conflict of Interest Committee in accordance with institutional policy.

Eterna is focused on developing advanced therapies using state-of-the-art mRNA cell engineering technology. Its mission is to realize the potential of cell engineering to provide patients with transformational new medicines. The Company has in-licensed a portfolio of over 100 patents covering key cell engineering technologies, including what it believes are the most widely used methods for therapeutic gene editing currently in clinical development. Eterna has multiple next-generation cell and gene-editing therapies in preclinical development for various indications. The Company plans to advance its technology and pipeline both internally and through strategic partnerships. For more information, visit www.eternatx.com.