Dynamic Cell Therapies Logo
Dynamic Cell Therapies Logo

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.

CAR T cell and Small Molecule Antibody
Equals tumor cell death

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

CAR T cell
Safe

By recognizing small molecules, CAR T cells do not cross react with normal tissue.

Dosable

CAR T cell activity is proportional to the number of small molecule-antibody conjugates.

Small Molecule Antibody
Specific

The small molecule-antibody conjugates bind to a specific tumor cell antigen.

Selective

When small molecule-antibody conjugates bind to tumor cells, CAR T cells recognize the small molecules selectively associated with tumors.

CAR T cell Tumor Small Molecule Antibody
Deadly

CAR T cells release perforins which punch holes in the tumor cell membrane resulting in cell death.

Effective

Activated CAR T cells release cytokines to recruit and stimulate the body’s natural immune cells to participate in the attack against cancer cells.

Redirectable

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.

Multiplexable

Our Pipeline

DCT 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

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.

John Newcomb
John Newcomb, Ph.D.

Head of Drug Discovery

John has over 25 years of drug discovery and development experience. Prior to Dynamic Cell Therapies, John was at Takeda in the Immuno-Oncology Drug Discovery Unit where his group contributed to the discovery of both small molecules and biologics that are currently being tested in early clinical trials. John also served as Director at Amgen in the Oncology Discovery group and prior to that as Head of Cell Biology at the start-up biotechnology company, Kinetix Pharmaceuticals. John received his Ph.D. in Microbiology and Immunology from Temple University School of Medicine.
Stephanie Kwei
Stephanie Kwei, M.D.

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.

Julia Novina
Julia A. Novina, Esq.

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.

Jun Ren
Jun Ren, Ph.D.

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.

Craig McKay
Craig McKay, Ph.D.

Scientific Director of Bio-conjugation

Craig was previously a Staff Engineer at Takeda Pharmaceuticals in the biologics process development group where he led and supported bio-conjugation projects for several antibody-drug conjugates. Craig received his Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Ottawa followed by post-doctoral training at Scripps Research Institute and Georgia Institute of Technology.
Thatshini Mathew

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. 

Thatshini Mathew

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.

Thatshini Mathew

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. 

Thatshini Mathew
Tharshini Mathew

Controller

Tharshini has been consulting for the past 10 plus years and was previously Interim Controller at Mana Therapeutics Inc. She also is Controller for, NextRNA Therapeutics Inc, Microbial Machine Inc and AI Proteins Inc -Cobro Companies. She has 20 plus years of experience in accounting and graduated in Accounting and Finance from South Bank University in London, UK. She received her Charted Certification from Association of Charted Certified Accountants (ACCA) from the UK.

Dynamic Cell Therapies Discovery Team. Photo credit: Pagliuca Harvard Life Lab

Scientific advisory board

Carl Novina
Carl Novina, M.D., Ph.D.

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.

Kenneth Anderson
Kenneth Anderson, M.D.

Co-Founder

Ken is Co-Founder of Dynamic Cell Therapies. He is the Kraft Family Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School as well as Director of the Jerome Lipper Multiple Myeloma Center and Lebow Institute for Myeloma Therapeutics at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. He is a member of the National Institute of Medicine and the Royal Colleges of Physicians and Pathologists (UK), and has received international recognition and numerous awards for his research. He is a past President of the International Myeloma Society, and of the American Society of Hematology.
Nikhil Munshi
Nikhil Munshi, M.D.

Co-Founder

Nikhil is currently the Director of Basic and Correlative Science, Jerome Lipper Multiple Myeloma Center at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. He received his M.D. from Maharaja Sayjirao University, India.
Steven Neier
Steven Neier, Ph.D.

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

Fred Mermelstein, Ph.D.
CEO Director – Independent
Kenneth C. Anderson, M.D.
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

Todd Kaludis

Cobro Ventures
Drew Dennison
Lightchain Capital
Bruce Evans
Evans Capital Management, LLC
Carl Novina, M.D., Ph.D.
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Malcolm Salter
Independent

Join Us

If you are interested in joining our team, you can find all open positions here.

Contact

Dynamic Cell Therapies, Inc.

BioLabs

134 Coolidge Ave.

Watertown, MA 02472

Email us or follow us on LinkedIn.