Bertis, GC Cell join hands to develop next-generation cell therapies using AI surface protein platform

Bertis, a proteomics technology platform company, has teamed up with cell and gene therapy specialist GC Cell to develop cell therapies through AI-driven surface protein target discovery.

Bertis announced Tuesday that it signed an MOU with GC Cell covering the discovery and validation of novel targets and target combinations, as well as cell therapy development.

Under the agreement, the two companies will combine Bertis's AI-based drug target discovery and validation platform, SURF, with GC Cell's cell therapy research and development capabilities. The scope of cooperation spans target and target-combination discovery and validation, the design of cell therapy candidates including CAR-NK and CAR-T therapies, and subsequent commercialization activities such as preclinical and clinical linkage and technology transfer.

Through the SURF platform, Bertis will identify novel surface protein targets and new combinations of existing targets, analyzing their expression profiles and suitability in cancer and normal cells to select applicable candidates. GC Cell will use those findings to design CAR-NK and CAR-T candidates and assess their therapeutic development potential. The specific scope of research and terms of execution will be finalized through follow-up discussions.

CAR-based cell therapies work by introducing into immune cells a receptor that recognizes specific antigens on the surface of cancer cells, making the discovery and validation of suitable surface protein targets a critical factor in determining development success. Bertis's SURF platform combines proteomics analysis with AI technology to directly generate and analyze surface protein data, offering an integrated pipeline from target candidate discovery through prioritization and validation.

"In cell therapy development, which target you choose is the key factor that determines efficacy and safety," said Won Seong-yong, chief executive of GC Cell. "Through our collaboration with Bertis, we will broaden the options for follow-on development candidates and explore opportunities to develop next-generation cell therapies using diverse target combinations."

Han Seung-man, chief executive of Bertis, said the MOU with GC Cell — which brings extensive clinical development experience in the cell therapy field — "is a meaningful starting point for connecting target discovery technology with therapeutic development capabilities." Han added that the company would expand the collaboration so that targets identified through SURF can lead to new drug development.

Founded in 2014, Bertis is a technology platform company that has commercialized a drug development analysis service called PASS and the world's first proteomics-based blood test for early breast cancer detection, Mastocheck, both built on AI-driven proteomics analysis technology.