About Artiva
NK Cell Therapies for Autoimmune Disease and Cancer
We are a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing natural killer (NK) cell-based therapies. Our mission is to develop effective, safe, and accessible cell therapies for patients with devastating autoimmune diseases and cancers. We aim to develop therapies that patients and physicians can utilize in a community setting. Our lead product candidate, AlloNK®, is a non-genetically modified, cryopreserved NK cell therapy being evaluated in combination with B-cell targeted monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). We believe the compelling cell killing properties of NK cells, when combined with mAbs for targeting, creates an opportunity to generate potentially transformative therapies.
Potential advantages of our approach include:
Mechanism of Action. Many autoimmune diseases occur when autoreactive B-cells produce autoantibodies that target the body’s own healthy cells and tissues, and peer-reviewed clinical studies using B-cell targeted cell therapy for the treatment of autoimmune diseases have demonstrated that deep B-cell depletion in the periphery and in the lymphoid tissue can lead to drug-free disease remission. AlloNK has been tested in combination with rituximab, a B-cell targeting mAb, in B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (B-NHL), where we have observed deep B-cell depletion in the periphery and complete responses in heavily pre-treated patients. We believe these preliminary results provide a readthrough to autoimmune disease because efficacy in both diseases appears to be accomplished with a shared mechanism of action involving B-cell depletion in the periphery and in the lymphoid tissues.
Access. Currently approved cell therapies are derived from a patient’s own cells (autologous) and require a complex, costly, and lengthy manufacturing process that is individualized for each patient. In contrast, AlloNK is derived from donor cells (allogeneic) and can be manufactured at scale, stored frozen and ready to ship. In addition, cell therapies based on T-cells (CAR-T) have been associated with immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome (ICANS), cytokine release syndrome (CRS) and other severe adverse events, generally limiting treatment to advanced clinical centers capable of supporting these patients. Conversely, in our clinical trial of AlloNK in combination with rituximab in B-NHL, more than two-thirds of the patients were managed entirely in the outpatient setting during their treatment course.
Manufacturing Scale. We have a manufacturing-first approach, leveraging a process pioneered with over a decade’s work by our strategic partner, GC Cell Corporation (GC Cell). Today, with the manufacturing facility in our San Diego headquarters we have the capability to produce enough AlloNK to treat over 1,000 autoimmunity patients annually. Our process is designed to allow us to produce off-the-shelf, allogeneic NK cell therapy candidates and to potentially meet the scale of commercial demand, with the mission to make these therapies broadly accessible for patients with devastating autoimmune diseases and cancers.