DRIVIN' CAR: Developing robust in vivo nanomedicine-based chimeric antigen receptor technology

Objective

DRIVIN’ CAR aims to transform immunotherapy by developing a scalable, cost-effective platform for in vivo generation of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) immune cells. Using proprietary apolipoprotein nanoparticle (aNP) platform technology, DRIVIN’ CAR pursues robust CAR monocyte/macrophage (CAR M) and CAR T cell therapy. Owing to their biocompatibility and natural tropism for myeloid cells, aNPs are excellently suited for in vivo CAR M therapy. For efficient in vivo T cell targeting, aNPs can be modularly surface-functionalized with apolipoprotein fusion proteins. The Program’s aNP platform technology addresses key limitations of current CAR therapies that prevent widespread implementation. It simultaneously tackles high treatment costs, complex ex vivo manufacturing procedures, and poor performance in solid tumors of conventional CAR cell therapy. The aNP platform also overcomes challenges associated with emerging in vivo approaches, such as limited specificity and safety risks. By combining advanced bioengineering, high throughput manufacturing, library screening approaches and in vivo validation, DRIVIN’CAR brings together world-leading experts to deliver a unique and versatile platform for in vivo CAR therapies with real clinical impact. This Program’s successful completion will advance the aNP platform to TRL 4. Besides enabling in vivo CAR immune cell therapy for cancer treatment, the aNP platform has significant translational potential and pertinency for applications in non-malignant diseases such as autoimmune disorders and cardiovascular disease.