Drug discovery company Lunai Bioworks has secured its first Letter of Intent (LOI) to license its next-generation immune cell therapy, advancing the treatment to clinic. 

Lunai’s Dendritic Cell Combination Therapy (DCCT) achieved complete regression of both primary and metastatic pancreatic tumours with no recurrence in humanised pre-clinical models. 

 The LOI follows Lunai’s publication in Vaccines, a successful pre-IND meeting with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and growing third-party recognition from the biotechnology and scientific communities. Lunai has proposed a Phase I clinical trial evaluating its Dendritic Cell Combination Therapy (DCCT) across several high-need solid tumours, including pancreatic cancer, which currently has a five-year survival rate of just 13%.  

“We are seeing accelerating validation from both researchers and industry partners,” said David Weinstein, CEO of Lunai Bioworks.  

“Independent expert analysis confirms the strength of our data, while early licensing activity reflects growing confidence in this platform’s potential to unlock scalable, off-the-shelf treatments capable of reaching the patients who need them most.”  

In humanised mouse models of pancreatic cancer — one of the most lethal and treatment-resistant tumours — Lunai’s DCCT achieved complete regression of both primary and metastatic lesions with no recurrence. These results demonstrate potent, multi-pathway immune activation.  

“In our view, these results approach what could be called the ‘holy grail’ of cancer research,” said the late Dr Anahid Jewett, Professor at UCLA and a leading authority in tumour immunology.  

“We observed an 80 to 90% reduction in tumour size and volume across two independent studies, with most of the remaining tissue consisting of immune cells rather than cancer cells.”  

Lunai is also advancing additional studies and expanding clinical reach for its DCCT platform through collaborations with leading investigators, including Dr Steven Dubinett (UCLA) for non-small cell lung cancer and Dr Xiaolin Zi (UC Irvine) for prostate cancer.