Inceptor Bio Enters into In-licensing Agreement with University of California, Santa Barbara For CAR-M Platform

RALEIGH, N.C., Dec. 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Inceptor Bio, a Research Triangle Park-based next-generation cell and gene therapy biotechnology company, today announced that it has executed an in-licensing agreement with the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) for an investigational Chimeric Antigen Receptor Macrophage (CAR-M) therapy targeting difficult-to-treat tumors.

"This strategic alliance is an important step in advancing Inceptor Bio's next-generation cell therapy platform focused on multiple novel mechanisms to address solid tumors," said Shailesh Maingi, Founder and CEO of Inceptor Bio. "Our aim for this cutting-edge technology is to transform how solid tumors are treated."

"CAR-M is a new frontier for harnessing immune cells to treat and cure cancer. We're thrilled to partner with Dr. Denise Montell and UCSB on a potentially groundbreaking technology in the fight against difficult-to-treat cancers," added Mike Nicholson, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer at Inceptor Bio. 

Macrophage cells naturally engulf viruses and bacteria through a process called phagocytosis, and when combined with a CAR construct to form a CAR-M, they can selectively target and engulf cancer cells and generate an immune response via modulation of the tumor microenvironment. Inceptor's CAR-M technology builds upon this foundation and plans to optimize the effectiveness of this therapeutic approach.

This technology was invented by Dr. Denise Montell's research lab at UCSB. Dr. Montell earned her B.S. in biochemistry and cell biology at the University of California, San Diego, and her Ph.D. in neuroscience at Stanford University. She joined the faculty at UCSB in 2012. Dr. Montell serves on the Board of Scientific Counselors of the National Cancer Institute and was elected into the National Academy of Sciences in 2021. 

"I am excited to work with Inceptor to transform our fundamental cell biological discoveries into cancer immunotherapies," said Denise Montell, Ph.D., Duggan Professor, UCSB. "It is gratifying to see decades of our basic science research coming to fruition to help cancer patients. The partnership with Inceptor is making it possible."

About Inceptor Bio
Founded in 2020, Inceptor Bio is a biotechnology company developing multiple next-generation cell and gene therapy platforms to deliver cures for underserved and difficult-to-treat cancers. By partnering with universities, medical centers, and industry leaders, Inceptor Bio advances cell and gene therapy programs from discovery-phase technologies into Phase I and II clinical assets. An experienced management team, Scientific Advisory Board, Directors and strategic advisors offer industry-leading expertise to partnerships. Inceptor Bio is investing in an Advanced Manufacturing Platform (AMP+) to provide fit-for-purpose, capital efficient, scalable shared infrastructure to support advancement of a diversified portfolio of cell therapy platforms across multiple cell types, including CAR-T, CAR-M, and CAR-NK/NKT. Additional information about Inceptor Bio is available at www.inceptor.bio.

Media Contact:
Mary Pat Joyce
Inceptor Bio, LLC
(978) 835 - 9768
[email protected]

SOURCE Inceptor Bio

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