The Panel:

Michael Gladstone - Partner, Atlas Venture

Claire Leurent, Ph.D., MD - Managing Director, AbbVie Ventures

Steve Tregay, Ph.D. - Managing General Partner, Mission BioCapital

Murray Robinson, Ph.D. - CEO, Rubik Therapeutics, Inc.

About The Project:

The current landscape of cell therapies, particularly CAR-T therapies, faces significant challenges, including the need to genetically engineer patient T cells to express tumor-specific antigens, the complex and costly process of cell manufacturing and expansion, and limited efficacy in treating solid tumors. Additionally, there is a critical unmet need to improve the efficacy and duration of response of CAR-T therapies in hematological cancers and autoimmune diseases.

Paree Therapeutics, a spin-out from Harvard SEAS and the Wyss Institute, addresses these challenges with its groundbreaking "Backpack" technology. This safe biomaterial-based approach primes and activates the immune system before administering immune-modulating therapies, bypassing the need for genetic engineering and complex manufacturing. Recent studies have shown that drug-free backpacks, when bound to unmodified neutrophils, can effectively shrink or eliminate tumors in vivo when administered with immune checkpoint inhibitors. Pari Therapeutics plans to rapidly advance this technology into the clinic, with an initial Phase 1 trial targeting refractory squamous cell carcinoma in patients receiving neoadjuvant checkpoint inhibitors. This trial aims to establish clinical safety and demonstrate early efficacy. With the potential to significantly enhance immune-based therapies, Pari is actively pursuing seed investment to further develop and commercialize the backpack platform across oncology, autoimmune diseases, and beyond.