An interview was conducted with Dr. David Jin, CEO of Avalon Globocare. Read below: technologies
Could you provide our readers with a brief introduction to Avalon Globocare? technologies
Avalon GloboCare Corp. (Nasdaq: AVCO) is a clinical-stage biotechnology company dedicated to developing and delivering innovative and transformative cell-based technologies, next-generation cellular therapeutics, and precision companion diagnostics in the field of immuno-oncology and cellular medicines. We founded Avalon in 2016 and the company was listed on the NASDAQ index in December 2018. Our administrative headquarters is located in Freehold, New Jersey. Currently, we have about 20 full-time employees, including those of our subsidiaries. technologies
Our core technology platform is engineered T cells—the major cancer-fighting component of our immune system. Through our platform, we developed the Chimeric Antigen Receptor or CAR-T cell cancer immunotherapy for various types of cancers. We are also developing “Flash-CARTM” which is a unique, novel mRNA-based technology platform for next-generation CAR-T and other cellular immunotherapies. Avalon’s broad goal is to cure patients of their cancer by designing these “living and long-lived drugs with memory” called CAR-T cell therapy. Other technology platforms at Avalon are our exosome-based ACTEXTM technology, AVA-TrapTM, as well as precision companion diagnostics (AVA-CDx).
At Avalon GloboCare, we also leverage and extend our technology platforms through strategic partnering and collaboration with academia and industry. Currently, we are actively engaged in research and development projects with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC), Arbele Limited, and HydroPeptide LLC to complement and diversify our R&D portfolio. Through the hard work of our scientists, together with an active portfolio of academic-industry co-development projects, we are continuously working to broaden and enrich our R&D pipeline. Underpinning Avalon’s R&D pipeline is also a broad and deep intellectual property portfolio, covering a number of key enabling technologies and addressing the multi-billion dollar unmet CellTech market worldwide.
Any highlights on your recent announcements?
We recently announced that Avalon has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Lu Daopei Hematology Institute, a premier hematology research institute with a state-of-the-art facility, to co-develop precision companion diagnostics for chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cell therapies. The Lu Daopei Hematology Institute has expert capabilities for developing precision diagnostics based on personalized genomic, proteomic, transcriptomic, and metabolomic platforms, and through this partnership, we plan to expand our R&D pipeline to include innovative companion diagnostics for future cellular immunotherapies.
Additionally, we are also adding a novel immune-oncology technology to our pipeline. We are leveraging our existing Flash-CARTM technology platform to develop next-generation mRNA-based CAR cellular therapeutics using natural killer (NK) cells. These immune cells are able to seek out and destroy cancerous cells and while cancer cells are able to evade attack by natural killer cells, by adding a chimeric antigen receptor to the patient’s NK cells, these engineered CAR-NK cells are designed to “unmask” and target specific markers on the surface of cancer cells. We plan to test CAR-NK cell therapy as a potential treatment for hematologic malignancies. technologies
What is the best thing about your company that people might not know about?)
Our key differentiators are the following: First, we are experts in the field of immune-oncology and believe that CAR-T therapy provides a revolutionary cancer treatment option, however, CAR-T alone may not be the solution. An ideal strategy for cancer treatment is to mobilize the whole repertoire of cancer-fighting immune cells in our body, for a multi-faceted, effective attack on cancer. We believe we can achieve this with our unique approach, using CAR-T to attack cancer cells and, at the same time, mobilize and recruit a broad spectrum of immune effector cell types, including T-cells, natural killer cells, and macrophages, as well as antibody-like decoy receptor traps (AVA-TrapTM). technologies
Another level of Avalon’s differentiating advantage is our demonstrated capability to seamlessly integrate the vertical segments in cellular medicine, namely
- Upstream R&D
- Midstream biomanufacturing
- Downstream clinical programs and facilities
These components are critical for the so-called “bench-work to bedside” translational development of cell therapy programs. And, we believe this approach will allow us to achieve our competitive
advantages of:
- Better and safer therapeutic options
- Lower manufacturing time and cost
- Broader patient accessibility
- Application of international standards and accreditation to gain access to international multicenter clinical trials
What can we expect from your company in the next 6 months? What are your plans?
We have two assets in development that we would like to highlight. technologies
AVA-001, Avalon’s 4-1BB-based anti-CD19 CAR-T candidate: We have successfully completed a pilot clinical study at the Lu Daopei Hospital last year. We are currently expanding the indications and patient recruitment to include both relapsed or refractory B-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia and Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. We plan to re-start this expanded Phase I clinical trial by the end of 2022. technologies
AVA-011, Avalon’s lead candidate from our mRNA-based FLASH-CARTM platform: We’ve already completed all the pre-clinical experimental work on this set. We are currently performing IND-enabling process development at UPMC to generate clinical-grade AVA-011 CAR-T cells for the upcoming first-in-human clinical trial during the first quarter of 2023. technologies
ACTEXTM, our clinical-grade, tissue-specific exosomes derived from stem/progenitor cells: We are currently at the re-formulation stage of product development. We expect to engage with our strategic partner (HydroPeptide LLC) in the commercialization of next-generation of exosome-based skincare products during the first quarter of 2023. technologies
What is one thing you want the world to know about Avalon GloboCare?
At Avalon GloboCare, we are working wholeheartedly to develop effective immune-oncology and cellular medicines that will save and extend the lives of cancer patients around the world. Our approach is unique in that we are harnessing the power of patients’ immune cells to create both bespoke and universal immunotherapies. Our team’s focus is always to accelerate the company’s growth and development and create values for our investors and shareholders. We are committed to positioning and growing Avalon as the future powerhouse in immune-oncology and cellular medicines for cancer and beyond. technologies