Pluri Partners with Bar-Ilan to Develop MAIT Cell Therapy for Solid Tumors

• Pluri and Bar-Ilan University collaborate to develop CAR-MAIT cell therapy for solid tumors.

• Israel Innovation Authority funds project, with potential for additional support in the future.

Pluri Inc., has announced a new collaboration with Bar-Ilan University’s research and development arm, BIRAD. Funded by the Israel Innovation Authority (IIA), the project will support the development of Placental Mucosal Associated Invariant T (MAIT) cells as a novel treatment approach for solid tumors, a field with substantial unmet medical needs.

The collaboration will integrate Prof. Cyrille Cohen’s Siglec-based Chimeric Switch Receptors (CCR) technology into Pluri’s proprietary CAR-MAIT platform, aiming to enhance the efficacy and specificity of MAIT cells for solid tumor targeting. Pluri’s placental MAIT cells are known for their potency and low risk of inducing Graft versus Host Disease, positioning them as promising candidates for off-the-shelf immunotherapies.

Prof. Cyrille Cohen of Bar-Ilan University noted the potential of this partnership: “By combining our patent-pending Siglec-based receptor technology and our expertise in designing potent CAR vectors for clinical applications, together with Pluri’s advanced capabilities in cultivating MAIT cells, we aim to harness the unique biological properties of these cells.”

With initial IIA funding secured for the next year and an option for additional support, the project is expected to move toward preclinical studies, leveraging Pluri’s two decades of expertise in cell expansion technology. Yaky Yanay, CEO and President of Pluri, remarked on the significance of this support: “This promising collaboration, recognised by the Israel Innovation Authority for its innovative potential, will help us create more effective immunotherapies for patients with solid cancer.”