CAMBRIDGE, Mass.– Be Biopharma, Inc. (“Be Bio”), a company pioneering the discovery and development of Engineered B Cell Medicines (BeCMs), will present preclinical research today showing the precise genome engineering of human B cells to express diverse therapeutic proteins using the company’s proprietary platform. The findings will be presented during an oral session at the American Society of Gene & Cell Therapy (ASGCT) 26th Annual Meeting at 2:15-2:30 p.m. PST with additional data in poster presentation 1453 on Friday, May 19th from 12:00-2:00 p.m. PST.
Plasma cells are terminally differentiated B cells, which can live for decades1 and have the capacity to secrete extremely high levels of protein2 making them attractive for the sustained delivery of biologics to treat a wide range of diseases. However, it has historically been challenging to genetically engineer B cells efficiently, precisely, and in a manner that could produce proteins at therapeutic levels over long durations. Leveraging the convergence of advanced gene editing, deep insights into B cell biology and cell therapy technologies, Be Bio has designed a versatile CRISPR/Cas9 engineering platform capable of delivering a gene of interest via homology-directed repair (HDR) to produce stable BeCMs.
“In a short two years, Be Bio has validated key concepts of our B cell medicine platform including editing precision and efficiency, reproducible engraftment, and durable functional protein expression with the goal of creating a new class of cellular medicines with broad therapeutic utility,” said Dr. Rick Morgan, Chief Scientific Officer, Be Bio. “B cell medicines have the potential to transform the lives of patients – they can be redosed when required, delivered autologously and allogeneically, and can be administered without preconditioning – offering distinct advantages over other advanced therapies.”
