NanoKar Therapeutics
NanoKar Therapeutics is a biotechnology company developing an ITAM tuning platform that optimizes the CD3ζ signaling domain shared by all approved CAR-T therapies. The platform offers 26 tunable ITAM variants that calibrate T-cell activation to improve persistence and reduce toxicity, with demonstrated 100% survival across five serial tumor re-challenges in a CD19 model. The technology is designed to work with any CAR, cell type, or delivery method without requiring construct redesign.
- Biotechnology
- Drug Discovery & Therapeutics
- Healthcare Technology
Funding
Founders
Founder details are not available yet.
Product
Problem
Every FDA-approved CAR-T therapy uses the same fixed CD3ζ signaling domain sequence, which drives limited persistence (30-60% relapse rates in hematological malignancies), severe toxicity (CRS rates up to 48%), and failure in solid tumors. This one-size-fits-all signaling approach caps dosing—a critical constraint since solid tumors demand higher doses—and prevents the field from achieving durable responses.
Solution
NanoKar provides an ITAM tuning platform that optimizes the CD3ζ signaling domain, the single shared component across all approved CAR-T therapies. By engineering 26 tunable ITAM variants, NanoKar enables activation to be calibrated rather than fixed, shifting T cells toward memory instead of exhaustion. The platform spans both weaker and stronger signaling, allowing potency to be raised or lowered depending on the program. This optimization layer works with any CAR, any cell type (T cell, NK cell, macrophage), and any delivery method (ex vivo or in vivo), without requiring changes to targeting, co-stimulation, manufacturing, or regulatory pathways. In a CD19 model, ITAM-optimized CAR-T cells produced durable tumor control across five consecutive tumor re-challenges, with reduced exhaustion markers (PD-1, Tim-3, Lag-3) compared to standard CD3ζ constructs. The company is at the preclinical stage with IND-enabling studies planned across multiple targets including CD19, HER2, and GD2.
Target Audience
Primary customers are cell therapy developers and biotechnology companies seeking to optimize their existing CAR-T constructs, as well as pharmaceutical partners interested in licensing the platform for solid tumor indications where current therapies fail.
Features
- 26-variant ITAM library spanning attenuated to enhanced signaling, enabling calibrated potency for both oncology and potential autoimmune applications
- Modular platform compatible with any CAR, any cell type (T cells, NK cells, macrophages), and any delivery approach (ex vivo or in vivo) without construct redesign
- Demonstrated reduction in exhaustion markers (PD-1, Tim-3, Lag-3) and generation of long-lasting memory T cells in CD19 model data
- Durable tumor control across five serial tumor re-challenges in a CD19 model, compared to the same CAR with standard CD3ζ domain
- Preclinical pipeline covering CD19 (B-cell malignancies), HER2 (breast cancer), and GD2 (glioblastoma) with additional targets pending
- Full in vivo dataset, phosphoproteomics, and construct-level detail available under NDA; partners can evaluate lead constructs under MTA