Appclon CAR-T Therapy 'AT101' Selected for Government Clinical Support

[Asia Economy Reporter Chunhee Lee] Appclon announced on the 10th that it will receive government support for the clinical trial of the chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T blood cancer cell therapy 'AT101' through its selection as the lead institution for the National New Drug Development Project.

CAR-T therapy is a cell and gene therapy (CGT) that involves isolating a patient's immune cells, genetically engineering them to specifically target cancer cells, culturing them, and then re-administering them to the patient. Previously approved CAR-T therapies such as 'Kymriah' have shown remarkable therapeutic effects with just a single administration, earning the nickname "miracle anticancer drugs."

AT101 was developed based on a humanized CD19 antibody that acts on a different antigen-binding site (epitope) than the previously approved CD19-targeting CAR-T therapies. The company explained that this allows for differentiated pharmacological characteristics while securing proprietary CAR-T intellectual property rights, raising expectations for overseas expansion and technology licensing (license-out). In the production process, an automated culturing system minimizing complex manual operations has been introduced to enhance product completeness and uniformity.

AT101 is a CAR-T cell therapy developed independently by Appclon using its own antibodies and has undergone preclinical trials supported by the Pan-Ministerial New Drug Development Project. The selection for this government project is expected to significantly aid in shortening the clinical trial period and advancing global commercialization.

An Appclon representative stated, "Through this government project, we expect to provide patients with various treatment opportunities using domestically developed CAR-T drugs and create a stepping stone to challenge the growing global CAR-T therapy market."