Catamaran Bio Launches, Developing CAR-NK Cell Therapies for Cancer

Cambridge-based Catamaran Bio, a biotech developing allogeneic CAR-NK cell therapies to treat cancer, has launched with $42 million in financing. Proceeds will be used to advance the company’s two lead chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-NK cell therapy programs. In addition, funding will expand the company’s integrated and proprietary suite of technologies for designing, genetically engineering, and manufacturing allogeneic CAR-NK cell therapies.

“In assembling the founding team at Catamaran, we saw an opportunity to pioneer a highly differentiated approach to develop allogeneic cell therapies using CAR-NK cells,” said Houman Ashrafian, Managing Partner, SV Health Investors and a founder of Catamaran. “To date, the success of autologous CAR T-cell therapies in hematological malignancies has opened the door to the breakthrough potential of cell therapies for cancer, and Catamaran is now well-positioned to improve upon this groundwork by developing off-the-shelf CAR-NK cell therapies capable of reaching solid tumors.” (Source: Catamaran Bio Website, 23 November, 2020)