The University of California, Irvine (UC Irvine) School of Medicine and GlyTR Therapeutics have developed a next‑generation AAV‑mediated CAR T‑cell platform, GlyTR (pronounced 'glitter'), engineered to target tumor‑associated carbohydrate antigens that are highly expressed across a broad range of cancers. Unlike traditional high‑affinity antibody based CAR designs, GlyTR uses a unique "velcro‑like" lectin binding mechanism that enables selective elimination of cancer cells while minimizing off‑tumor toxicity and expanding the potential of CAR‑T therapy into solid tumors where safety has historically been a major barrier.

As a strategic partner to UC Irvine and GlyTR Therapeutics, ProBio successfully delivered AAV scale‑up materials to enable in vivo IND-enabling studies. The program leverages ProBio's integrated CDMO capabilities including plasmid DNA development, GMP manufacturing, and scalable CMC expertise to de‑risk early development and accelerate the path toward clinical evaluation.

Dr. Ani Grigorian, Associate Project Scientist at the UC Irvine School of Medicine and lead scientist in this study, highlighted the impact of ProBio's contribution: "ProBio's GMP AAV6 product demonstrated robust on-target CAR gene insertion of ~80%, greatly surpassing the ~40% insertion efficiency with previous research grade material. ProBio's GMP AAV6 product produced highly potent and physiologically regulated CAR T cells that were able to clear tumors in mice, a pivotal step towards bringing this new class of immunotherapeutics to humans."

The patented UC Irvine technology, licensed to GlyTR Therapeutics Inc. for commercialization, represents a first‑in‑class, pan‑cancer immunotherapy platform recently reported in Cell. Development is supported by approximately $30 million in total, and a recent $4.6 million grant from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM).

"From start to finish, we've been consistently impressed with ProBio's communication, accountability, and strong sense of responsibility throughout the entire manufacturing process. They consistently delivered exactly what they promised and ultimately finished with a bang." said Dr. Michael Demetriou, Principal Investigator and Professor of Neurology and Microbiology & Molecular Genetics at the UC Irvine School of Medicine.

"Our mission is to help innovators move from concept to clinic with speed, quality, and confidence. The success of the GlyTR AAV program demonstrates how ProBio's scalable platforms and technical depth can de‑risk early development and accelerate translation for next‑generation cell and gene therapies." said Allen Guo, CEO from ProBio.

Preclinical findings from the GlyTR program will inform upcoming toxicology studies and clinical strategy. The team is now focused on clinical trial preparation and IND submission, representing a key value‑inflection milestone for the program. The clinical studies will be conducted collaboratively between the UC Irvine's Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center and the UC Irvine Alpha Clinic, the clinical trial arm of the stem cell research center.