Cytonus™, derived from the Greek words Cyto meaning cell and Onus or carrier. Cytonus Therapeutics Inc, has developed a next-generation Adoptive Cellular Therapy (ACT) platform technology with numerous medical applications. Our team of leading cell engineering and immunotherapy scientists have created a unique cell-line, CARGOCYTE™ that has proven to have many attributes and benefits in the continued quest to find safe, precise, and controllable cell-based immunotherapies. Our CARGOCYTE™ platform has the potential to change the paradigm of cancer therapy and beyond.
CARGOCYTES™ are able to transport multiple payloads in combination, including:
We are a cell-based platform technology company focused on immune-oncology and gene therapies for devastative and rare diseases. For the past 25 years, our Co-Founder, Dr. Richard Klemke has been a leader in the field of cell engineering and cancer immunotherapy. As a clinical-stage biotechnology spinout of his lab at University of California San Diego (UC San Diego) with research fully funded by the National Institute of Health (NIH), Cytonus Therapeutics’ proprietary CARGOCYTE™ cell platform of therapeutics target the most difficult to treat cancers.
Remo Moomiaie-Qajar, M.D.
Founder and CEO
Dr. Moomiaie-Qajar is a trained surgeon from Yale University with a long academic history of innovating technologies in medicine and translating them into commercially viable products. Dr. Moomiaie-Qajar has 15 years of experience incubating technologies from start-up or early stage level to exit. His background as an academic researcher, physician, and entrepreneur brings an unique trifecta of perspective and experience to Cytonus. He holds a number of US and International Patents and has successfully funded and launched a number of Life Science companies. He is currently the CEO of Remo CRO, a full service CRO and Dr. Moomiaie-Qajar is an active member of a number of National Angel Investment Groups and manages a Life Science seed fund.
Richard Klemke, PhD.
Founder and CSO
Dr. Klemke has over 25 years of experience working in academia and the biotechnology sectors in the San Diego area. Dr. Klemke is Professor of Pathology and Cancer Biology at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine and Moores Cancer Center, where he serves as the director of the Cancer Imaging Network and the Pathology Department’s Proteomics Center of Excellence. He earned his Ph.D. in Molecular Cell Biology from Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center. Dr. Klemke was a research scientist in the immunology department at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) before joining UC San Diego and Moores in 2006. He has been an active consultant in the biotech and pharmaceutical industries for more than two decades, and is the founder of BioSystems Consulting in San Diego. He is internationally recognized for his work in stem cell biology, carcinogenesis, and therapeutic drug development, using proteomics, computational biology, and unique cell-based and preclinical animal models of cancer. His work has produced novel therapeutics directed at cancer and has unlocked newfound insights and concepts that explain how malignant tumors develop and avoid the immune system to spread through the body.
CARGOCYTES™: Engineered enucleated cells that carry multiple therapeutic payloads in a precise, safe, and predictable manner to specific targets (cancer cells). They are specifically designed to locate and activate the host’s immune system to attack cancer cells. The advantages of using our proprietary CARGOCYTE™ platform as compared to other Adoptive Cellular Therapy (ACTs) are:
| Ideal Cell-based Therapy | TIL | CAR-T | CARGOCYTE™ |
| Controllable | X | X | ✔ |
| Homogeneous Source | X | ✔ | ✔ |
| Unlimited Engineering | X | X | ✔ |
| “Off-the-shelf” | X | X | ✔ |
| Controllable Engraftment | X | X | ✔ |
| Safe after Engineering | X | X or ✔ | ✔ |
TIL- Tumor Infiltrating Lymphocyte
CAR-Chimeric Antigen Receptors
Time-lapse video of Lifeact-RFP hTERT MSCs and derived Cargocytes (red) migrating through 1 µm and 15µm constrictions inside a microfluidic device towards chemoattractant (FBS). The enucleated Cargocytes migrate faster through the small constrictions, likely due to the absence of the large/dense nucleus. The MSCs and Cargocytes were stained with nuclear dye Hoechst 33342 (blue). Video courtesy of J. Keys (Lammerding Lab, Cornell).
We have a unique cell-therapy that expands the possibility of immunotherapy to solid tumors as well as hematologic tumors and beyond. We believe our cell-transportation platform is the safest and most cost efficient in the world today with unlimited applications in oncology and many other diseases.
Press releases
Posters
Exhibited at ASCB/EMBO 2018, San Diego
Exhibited at AACR 2019, Atlanta
Exhibited at ASGCT 2019, Washington DC
We welcome the opportunity to partner with foundations, researchers, and patients. Please contact us to discuss how we can work together to improve the lives of those afflicted by cancer.
We are currently engaged in research and development involving combining such payloads with the CARGOCYTE™ platform, including the development, licensing and sale of cancer and other therapies using our technology, as well as contract manufacturing of cell lines and payloads using our CARGOCYTE™ technology for pharma companies and research institutions. We invite entities interested in collaborating with us on these applications to contact us concerning possible commercial partnerships and licensing opportunities.
