10111941Novel mRNA-based cell therapy for childhood brain cancerClosedCollaborative R&DInnovate UKAdoptive cell therapy is a treatment of patients using their own, modified immune cells. It involves harvesting T cells - the immune cells that normally recognise and eliminate pathogens - from the patient's blood, reprogramming them to identify cancer cells and re-introducing the newly modified cells back into the patient to destroy tumours. The modifying factor used to arm these T cells against cancer is called Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR). Using the lock and key analogy, just as every lock can only be opened with the appropriate key, each type of cancer, with its unique antigens, can only be recognised by a specific engineered CAR. Since 2017, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved six CAR-T cell therapies for different types of blood cancer. National Health Service (NHS) England now offers three different CAR-T therapies for six different indications, benefitting adults and children with blood cancer. The treatment is particularly effective in patients who did not respond to chemotherapy, offering real hope to those who otherwise would have no other options. However, CAR therapy can only treat a particular type of cancer, leaving much room for improvement. The concerted efforts into the development of specific CAR therapies against other cancers are hindered by the tedious process of target discovery and receptor optimisation. Coding.bio is streamlining the process of building better receptors, making it faster and cheaper. We aim to help bring this transformative therapy to a broader patient population. Coding.bio's innovative approach is aligned with the UK government's ambition to position the UK at the forefront of safe and effective precision immunotherapies. The NHS was the first health system in Europe to agree to a full access deal on breakthrough CAR-T therapy nearly five years ago. Published pharmaceutical industry data recently showed that the UK is one of the fastest G20 countries to roll out new medicines (GOV.UK Apr 2023). Our overarching goal is to make transformative therapy accessible to a broader patient population, transcending the boundaries of cancer and extending it to other diseases. Furthermore, our technology holds substantial potential for cost saving to the NHS, as it promises to reduce hospitalisation durations and improve patient outcomes.