Controllable CAR T cells for the treatment of liquid and solid tumors
About Us
Dynamic Cell Therapies is developing controllable CAR T cells to address difficult-to-treat cancers. Our platform technology of dynamic control of engineered T cells will improve the safety, efficacy, and durability of CAR T cell therapies. This system will have immediate applications in hematological cancers, with future approaches in solid tumors and autoimmune diseases.
Our Platform Technology
Our platform technology uncouples tumor targeting from CAR T cell activation. Each CAR T cell recognizes an inert small molecule. This small molecule is conjugated to a tumor-specific antibody. By dosing the small molecule-antibody conjugate, the physician can dynamically control CAR T cell activity and minimize the risk of life threatening side effects. Increasing the dose of the small molecule-antibody conjugate will strengthen the immune attack against tumor cells. In addition, the same small molecule can be coupled to different tumor targeting antibodies, allowing the physician to maximize on-target on-tumor efficacy and reduce off-tumor toxicities.
Dynamic Controllable CAR T Cell System
The activity of the controllable CAR T cell system can be titrated by dosing the small molecule-antibody conjugate to maximize tumor cell killing while minimizing toxicity.
Drag the slider from left to right to increase the amount of small-molecule antibody conjugates.
How it Works
By recognizing small molecules, CAR T cells do not cross react with normal tissue.
CAR T cell activity is proportional to the number of small molecule-antibody conjugates.
The small molecule-antibody conjugates bind to a specific tumor cell antigen.
When small molecule-antibody conjugates bind to tumor cells, CAR T cells recognize the small molecules selectively associated with tumors.
CAR T cells release perforins which punch holes in the tumor cell membrane resulting in cell death.
Activated CAR T cells release cytokines to recruit and stimulate the body’s natural immune cells to participate in the attack against cancer cells.
If the tumor cells evade recognition, a new small molecule antibody conjugate can be administered targeting a different antigen. Additional leukapheresis is not required.
Multiplexable
Multiple different antibodies targeting various antigens coupled to the same small molecule can be dosed together. Antibodies against different tumor antigens can be chosen to maximize on-target on-tumor CAR T cell activity and minimize on-target off-tumor toxicities. For example, one antibody can possess specific on-target off-tumor reactivity, and a second antibody can be chosen for a different set of on-target off-tumor properties. In this way, the physician can maximize efficacy and limit toxicity.
Our Pipeline
Therapeutic Area
Relapsed/Refractory Multiple Myeloma is an incurable cancer of the antibody secreting (plasma) cells in the blood. There are nearly 35,000 new cases of multiple myeloma each year and 12,410 annual deaths in the United States alone. Although there are numerous available therapies, the five-year survival rate for this disease is only 53%. Many patients that initially respond to therapy often relapse and become refractory to further treatment. Dynamic Cell Therapies is uniquely suited to address the challenges of a disease that rapidly evolves in response to existing therapies.
Our Team
Fred Mermelstein, Ph.D.
Co-Founder, Chief Executive Officer and President
Fred has founded numerous biotech companies with successful exits, including Pear Tree Pharmaceuticals, Javelin Pharmaceuticals and PolaRx Biopharmaceuticals. He is also a founder and Chairman of the Board of Microbial Machines and Courage Therapeutics and serves as a Director for NextRNA. Fred is also an experienced investor, having served several roles in biotech venture capital and private equity. Fred received a joint Ph.D. in Pharmacology and Toxicology from Rutgers University and UMDNJ-RWJ.
Head of Drug Discovery
Clinical Affairs Project Manager
Stephanie is a biotechnology and medical device consultant and investor. She is also a Partner and Analyst at Ascentia Asset Management, a biotech private investment fund. Stephanie was previously a reconstructive plastic surgeon and former Assistant Professor in the Department of Surgery at Yale University School of Medicine. She received her M.D. from Albert Einstein College of Medicine.
Co-Founder and Chief Legal Officer
Julia serves as General Counsel for Microbial Machines, Courage Therapeutics and NextRNA Therapeutics. She is responsible for corporate formation, founder and seed round financing, technology licensing, contracting and general company administration. Earlier in her career, Julia was a litigator, primarily in the areas of government contracts and consumer financial services. She earned her J.D. from the Georgetown University Law Center and graduated magna cum laude from Connecticut College.
Scientific Director
Jun has a multidisciplinary background and deep expertise in CAR T cell therapy, immuno-oncology, and tumor microenvironment. Prior to joining Dynamic Cell Therapies, he worked at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, where he developed multiple therapeutic strategies overcoming resistance to cancer immunotherapy and provided mechanistic insights in support of clinical trials. Jun received his Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, followed by postdoctoral training at Massachusetts General Hospital.
Scientific Director of Bio-conjugation
Lindsay Webb, Ph.D.
Principal Scientist
Lindsay is an immunologist with expertise in T-cell biology and immuno-oncology. Prior to joining Dynamic Cell Therapies, she was a Senior Scientist at TCR2 Therapeutics where she advanced multiple cell therapy programs from early discovery to lead nomination and IND enabling studies. Lindsay received her Ph.D. from The Ohio State University College of Medicine.
Sakeena Syed
Scientist II
Prior to joining Dynamic Cell Therapies, Sakeena led in vivo pharmacology research at Ikena Oncology focusing on proof of concept and candidate selection studies targeting the hippo pathway in cancer. Throughout Sakeena’s career, she has successfully advanced several molecules into the clinic, spending over 14 years at Takeda Oncology and EMD Serono Inc. in the cancer pharmacology group. She holds a B.A. in Biology from Oberlin College.
Zachary Caruolo
Research Associate II
Zach received a B.S. in Cell & Molecular Biology from the University of Rhode Island. After graduating, he was a research associate in the Department of Pathology at Brown University where he investigated the mechanisms by which exposure to environmental toxicants can lead to defects in reproductive development.
Controller
Dynamic Cell Therapies Discovery Team. Photo credit: Pagliuca Harvard Life Lab
Scientific advisory board
Co-Founder
Carl is an Associate Professor of Medicine at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute & Harvard Medical School and an Associate Member of the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT. His original research has resulted in the founding of Dynamic Cell Therapies, Microbial Machines and Mana Therapeutics. He is the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including the W.M. Keck Distinguished Young Scholars Award, Department of Defense Idea Award, The NCI Director’s Provocative Questions Award, the National Science Foundation Collaborative Research Project Award and the NIH Director’s Pioneer Award. Carl received his M.D. from Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons and his Ph.D. in immunology from Tufts University.
Co-Founder
Co-Founder
Consultant
Steven is Principal at Binney Street Capital, as well as co-founder and Scientific Advisory Board member of Microbial Machines and NextRNA Therapeutics. He was a scientific consultant at QuantumCyte, Inc. while serving as a scientist at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Steven received his Ph.D. in immunology from Mayo Clinic.
Board of directors
Todd Kaludis
Join Us
If you are interested in joining our team, you can find all open positions here.