We have developed our proprietary RED PLATFORM® to generate red blood cells and genetically engineer them into a new class of cellular medicines, called Red Cell TherapeuticsTM (RCTs). Our RED PLATFORM harnesses both the unique properties of red blood cells and the creative potential of genetic engineering to deliver on the promise of cellular therapy and transform how diseases are treated.
Red Cell Therapeutics are engineered to express biotherapeutic proteins within or on their cell surface to create highly selective, potent and allogeneic cellular medicines aimed at treating a range of diseases. They can potentially be used to kill tumors in cancer and regulate the immune system for the treatment of autoimmune diseases.
THERAPEUTIC MODALITIES
RCTTM Product Candidates can be engineered in multiple ways to treat disease
By leveraging distinct therapeutic modalities, including immune system activation and tolerance induction, our initial RCTs have the potential to improve the treatment of cancer and autoimmune diseases.
Cancer
Immune Stimulation
Broad ImmuneSystem Stimulation
Our allogeneic Red Cell Therapeutic oncology product candidates are engineered to express...
Broad ImmuneSystem Stimulation
Our allogeneic Red Cell Therapeutic oncology product candidates are engineered to express hundreds of thousands of co-stimulatory molecules and cytokines on the surface of the cell to replicate immune system function by stimulating adaptive and innate immunity to generate an anti-tumor immune response.
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Antigen-Specific Immune System Stimulation
Additionally, we have engineered allogeneic, artificial antigen-presenting cells (aAPCs)...
Antigen-Specific Immune System Stimulation
Additionally, we have engineered allogeneic, artificial antigen-presenting cells (aAPCs). aAPCs are designed to induce a tumor-specific immune response by expanding antigen-specific T cells, and promote cytokine production and cytolytic activity, which could result in killing of tumor cells.
LessAutoimmune Diseases
Immune Modulation
Autoimmune Diseases –Immune Modulation
We can engineer our cells to express specific autoimmune disease-associated antigens either within or on the cell surface...
Autoimmune Diseases –Immune Modulation
We can engineer our cells to express specific autoimmune disease-associated antigens either within or on the cell surface to take advantage of how the body normally maintains self-tolerance, thereby retraining the immune system to no longer see self-antigens as foreign.
In addition, we have the ability to express immune modulating cytokines, enzymes or inhibitory signals, which may have the potential to enhance the tolerogenic effects of our Red Cell Therapeutics.
We believe RCTs can be designed to more specifically modulate complex counter‑regulatory immune responses and enable greater efficacy with lower toxicity, potentially providing treatments for a number of diseases, and, in some cases, potentially even cures.
MANUFACTURING OUR RED CELL THERAPEUTICS
With the RED PLATFORM®, Rubius Therapeutics can generate a wide variety of allogeneic, ready-to-use RCTTM product candidates with our proprietary process:
- CD34+ hematopoietic precursor cells are collected by apheresis from a healthy O negative donor and purified
- These precursor cell populations are genetically engineered with a lentiviral vector, or gene cassette, to express one or more biotherapeutic proteins
- The cells are then exposed to media in a bioreactor to promote further expansion and differentiation until the nucleus is ejected, resulting in a mature reticulocyte
- Based on our manufacturing release criteria, the remaining cell, or RCT, has the same characteristics as a normal red blood cell and now has the biotherapeutic protein(s) of interest inside or on the cell surface to treat the intended disease
- A donation from one O negative donor can result in hundreds to thousands of doses, depending on the intended therapeutic application
- We can generate a broad pipeline of RCT product candidates by changing only the gene cassettes that encode the biotherapeutic protein(s)
