SINGAPORE, September 14, 2022 - Lion TCR Pte Ltd, a clinical-stage biotech company specialized in the development and commercialisation of its proprietary engineered T Cell Receptor (TCR) products against infectious disease and its associated cancers, has been recognised as the ‘Most Promising Cell & Gene Therapy Startup in Asia’ category at the Asia-Pacific Cell & Gene Therapy Excellence Awards (ACGTEA) 2022, organised by IMAPAC. The award ceremony was held in conjunction with the 6th Cell & Gene Therapy World Asia 2022 conference on 14th – 15th of September at the Sheraton Tower in Singapore. Lion TCR managed to distinguish itself from other companies to win the recognition of the judges and industry leaders.

Conference Presentation and Award Ceremony

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Lion TCR’s R&D Director Dr Wai Lu-En presented on ‘Advances in Liver Cancer Therapy Using our First-In-Class TCR-T Therapy’ as an invited speaker during the conference. Director of Technology and Manufacturing, Dr Sarene Koh, represented Lion TCR to receive the certificate and trophy for the ‘Most Promising Cell & Gene Therapy Startup in Asia’ award. Dr Wai Lu-En and Dr Sarene Koh are both A*STAR scholars, who obtained their PhDs from the prestigious Stanford University and Karolinska Institute respectively. They are the founding team members of the company, and joined Lion TCR’s scientific founder, Professor Antonio Bertoletti in the research and development of T-cell immunotherapy and the immuno-pathogenesis of hepatitis B virus infection. Dr Wai leads Lion TCR’s efforts to expand the TCR library and pipeline project, while Dr Koh leads Lion TCR's efforts on product development and process optimisation in T cell immuno-therapy.

Clinching the ‘Most Promising Cell & Gene Therapy Startup in Asia’ award represents the industry’s affirmation of the company’s achievements in immunotherapy. Lion TCR has obtained the world’s first Phase 1b/2 IND approval from the US FDA for its First-In-Class autologous TCR-T cell product (LioCyx-M004) for the treatment of HBV-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). FDA has also granted Lion TCR the dual designations of Fast Track and Orphan Drug Designations (ODD) due to the novelty of LioCyx-M004 treatment and its efficacy in Phase I trials. Lion TCR’s endeavours to accelerate the pace of development and bring its products to patients faster.  

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About Lion TCR Pte Ltd

Lion TCR is a clinical-stage biotech company specialized in the development and commercialisation of its proprietary engineered T Cell Receptor (TCR) products against infectious disease and its associated cancers. As global leader in HBV-specific TCR redirected T cell therapy against HCC, the company is a biotech spin-off from Singapore’s Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) and has global exclusive licenses of the technologies from A*STAR. Lion TCR has developed various TCR technology platforms including the TCR discovery as well as the autologous and allogeneic TCR that incorporate gene editing.

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About ACGTEA

Asia-Pacific Cell & Gene Therapy Excellence Awards 2022 seeks to give recognition to exceptional cell & gene therapy pioneers, researchers, innovators and manufacturers that facilitate fast advancement in new therapies, R&D and manufacturing. Featuring top cell and gene therapy leaders in the industry, along with the new cell and gene therapy research development, latest advances and technologies and best practices in cell and gene manufacturing, the award applauds extraordinary leaders and trend-setters of today and inspires innovators of tomorrow.

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About IMAPAC

IMAPAC is a prominent player in the biopharmaceutical community hosting networking sessions and conferences. It has organised many long running conferences such as the above Cell & Gene Therapy World Asia Conference as well as award ceremonies such as ACGTEA and the Asia-Pacific Bioprocessing Excellence Awards (ABEA) where notable winners include Cytiva and WuXi Biologics, where the latter was the winner for Bioprocessing Excellence in Viral Clearance and Safety in 2021 and 2022.

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