Life and death dance within us every moment – billions of cells replicate and perish in an exquisitely choreographed balance that maintains our existence. This perpetual cycle of renewal relies on precise cellular mechanisms and a vigilant immune system to maintain order. But sometimes, this delicate equilibrium falters. A single cell may begin to replicate uncontrollably, evading the body’s internal checkpoints meant to halt such aberrant growth. When these internal safeguards fail, our immune system serves as a critical last line of defence, hunting down and eliminating these rogue cells before they can multiply into a threatening mass. Yet despite these layers of protection, cancer cells sometimes slip through, outmanoeuvring both our cellular control systems and immune defences to establish themselves as growing tumours.
Therapeutics
Immunotherapy is paving the way for a paradigm shift in the treatment of cancers and preventing relapse. Yet, only a portion of patients benefit from this transformative therapy. Current cell therapy products in the market are barely accessible due to limitations in scalability and cost in manufacturing CAR-T cells with lentiviral and retroviral gene transfer. T-CURX is addressing this compelling market need through its proprietary CAR-T cell manufacturing technology aimed at increasing the accessibility of cancer immunotherapy for patients around the world. The technology is a non-viral gene transfer method centred around a novel sleeping beauty (SB) transposon. The solution is more cost-effective than viral gene transfer, as it does not require the manufacturing of lentiviral particles but only small amounts of DNA and mRNA, making it unlimited in scalability. “We want to democratize CAR-T cell therapies and offer potentially the first, best-in-class, curative cell therapies for more cancer patients by lowering costs and making it essentially unlimited in scalability,” says Dr. Ulf Grawunder, CEO of T-CURX. Unlike me-too companies, T-CURX is on an ambitious mission to develop novel cell therapies that address cancer indications with high and unmet medical needs, lymphomas, leukaemia, and solid tumours, for which it is challenging to develop successful CAR-T therapies. T-CURX prepares the CAR-T cells from primary T cells isolated from the patient, making it an “off-the-shelf” autologous cell therapy. The T cells are inserted with a minicircle DNA cargo encoding the CAR construct in combination with an mRNA molecule that encodes the SB transposase enzyme. This combination is proven to have the highest gene transfer efficiency and viability for the T cells. T-CURX employs electroporation for the transfer process. By using an SB transposase instead of piggyBac transposase, T-CURX increases safety in the gene transfer methods. piggyBac transposase inserts into actively transcribing genes, which has led to the onset of leukemia in two patients in a clinical trials. T-CURX uses the SB transposase with the insertion performed through a random integration pattern into safe harbor regions in the genome to avoid any safety issues that were visible in piggyBac transposase insertions. .
Life Science Testing
The Cancer Immunotherapy Treatment Paradigm
Charles G. Drake, M.D., Ph.D., Vice President, Immuno-Oncology, The Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies
Hemophilia
A Marketer's Guide to Strategically Promoting Oncology Innovation
Jaime Manzanera Gómez, Brand Director of Oncology, Eisai EMEA
Drug Discovery and Development
Transforming Healthcare: The Crucial Role Of Diagnostic Radiology In Influencing Patient Experience
Greg Mtunz, General Manager Diagnostic Services, Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust
Drug Discovery and Development
Bridging Innovation, Precision And Care
Puteri Abdul Haris, Consultant in Clinical Oncology, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trus
Drug Discovery and Development
Coping with Ongoing Developments in Oncology
Emma Spellman, Director of Clinical Operations, The London Clinic
IN MY OPINION
Pharma Outsourcing
Combining Expertise Across Borders To Implement Equitable And Sustainable Precision Cancer
Kjetil Tasken, Head and Director of Institute of Cancer Research, Oslo University Hospital
LAST WORD
Therapeutics
Immunotherapy: Unleashing the Power of the Immune System in Cancer Treatment
Clement Lim, Associate Director, Head of Early Cancer Detection, Scientific & Medical Affairs at Mir
IN FOCUS
Rare Cancers and the Promise of Immunotherapy
Rare cancers, though less prevalent than common types, collectively affect many individuals across Europe. Their rarity and the limited scope of research pose distinct challenges in diagnosis and treatment. Nonetheless, advancements in immunotherapy have ushered in renewed optimism, offering promising avenues for patients battling these complex diseases
The Promise Of Immunotherapies As Viable Cancer Treatment
The human immune system is a fascinating and complex defense mechanism designed to protect the body from harm. It meticulously monitors every substance within the body to identify and eliminate foreign invaders such as bacteria, viruses and other pathogens.
EDITORIAL
Fighting Cancer with Stronger Natural Defenses
Immune checkpoint inhibitors help the immune system detect and destroy cancer cells more efficiently, while CAR-T cell therapies re-engineer a patient’s T-cells to aggressively target malignant cells. Meanwhile, personalized medicine tailors treatments to an individual’s genetic profile, driving improved outcomes and highlighting the trend toward customized care.
A notable breakthrough is the FDA approval of quizartinib for acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with FLT3 mutations. This demonstrates the industry’s move toward precision therapies designed for specific genetic variations. Such advances push the boundaries of science and expand the market for sophisticated immunotherapies.
As drug developers and research institutions collaborate to develop even more refined treatments, the cancer immunotherapy market is set to experience robust growth. By merging technological innovation with a patient-focused approach, these novel therapies offer renewed hope for millions worldwide, underscoring how far the field has come—and how much further it can go.
This edition of Life Sciences Review Europe spotlights Immunocine as the Cancer Immunotherapies Company of the Year in Europe 2025. The company's revolutionary approach is powered by a unique “double loading” technology that activates dendritic cells in a previously undiscovered way, triggering a powerful, personalised immune response against cancer.
The issue also features thought leadership articles from key opinion leaders in the cancer immunotherapy space. One of them, Kjetil Tasken, Head and Director of Institute of Cancer Research at Oslo University Hospital, highlights the importance of building a sustainable and equitable implementation of precision cancer medicine in Europe. In addition, Charles G. Drake, M.D., Ph.D., Vice President, Immuno-Oncology, The Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson, discusses the future of cancer immunotherapy by innovating around autologous iPSC-derived cell therapies, prime-boost cancer vaccines, and potent bispecific or checkpointtargeting antibodies (e.g., anti-LAG-3, TIGIT, and CD3-bispecifics) to enhance T-cell activity against tumors.
We invite you to explore the transformative potential of cancer immunotherapies with Life Sciences Review Europe. Discover how these innovations are set to revolutionize the oncology sector.
