Cell Design Labs, Inc. announced the issuance of U.S. Patent No. 9,670,281, entitled “Binding-triggered transcriptional switches and the methods of use thereof.” This patent, issued to UC San Francisco (UCSF) and exclusively licensed to Cell Design Labs, broadly covers composition of matter for proprietary synNotch™ constructs, cells genetically modified with synNotch receptors and methods for treating diseases.
“Using the synNotch technology, we are rewiring immune cells to create customized cells that can carry out highly specialized actions in the complex environment of the body,” said Brian Atwood, Co-Founder, President and Chief Executive Officer of Cell Design Labs. “In preclinical testing of potential anticancer applications, T cells engineered with synNotch receptors could be programmed to produce and deliver a wide range of therapeutic payloads, including checkpoint inhibitors, bispecific antibodies and custom cytokines, specifically to the tumor site. We believe our synNotch technology will play a major role in developing a new generation of more effective and safer therapeutics for cancer, autoimmune and infectious diseases.”
The synNotch technology was developed in the laboratory of Wendell Lim, PhD, Professor and Chair of the Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology at UCSF and Director of the UCSF Center for Systems and Synthetic Biology.
“Dr. Lim’s lab is working on some of the most compelling and revolutionary science of our era including synNotch,” commented Todd Pazdera, PhD, Assistant Director of UCSF’s Office of Technology Management. “With Cell Design Labs advancing this important innovation, we are eager to see it fulfill its potential to improve the lives of patients battling debilitating diseases.”
