Recently, Juncell Therapeutics announced that its self-developed NovaGMP™ non-viral genetic modification platform has achieved progress in the genetic engineering of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs). The research findings will be presented at the 29th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Gene & Cell Therapy (ASGCT), held in Boston, USA, from May 11 to 15.
The platform enables stable, efficient and reproducible genetic modification of TILs derived from various solid tumors. It provides an innovative technical approach to address long-standing industry pain points of conventional viral vectors, including potential safety risks and high manufacturing costs.
TIL therapy has emerged as a research hotspot in the field of solid tumor immunotherapy. Currently, lifileucel, the world's first native TIL therapy, has achieved successful commercialization. As the next-generation evolutionary direction, genetically modified TILs have become a core strategic focus across the industry, with relevant clinical development and pipeline research advancing at a sustained accelerated pace.
Looking at the current industry landscape, traditional viral vector-based TIL genetic modification technologies have long been constrained by inherent shortcomings such as prominent safety risks and high manufacturing costs, which greatly limit the clinical popularization and commercialization of genetically modified TIL therapies.
To address this industry bottleneck, Juncell Therapeutics has independently built the NovaGMP™ non-viral genetic modification platform. Leveraging the piggyBac transposon plasmid system, the platform enables stable expression of exogenous genes.
Different from the viral vector approach, the piggyBac transposon system achieves efficient and stable gene integration through a unique "cut-and-paste" integration mechanism. It features a large cargo capacity, making it highly suitable for genetic modification of hard-to-transfect primary T cells. Meanwhile, it demonstrates remarkable advantages in industrialization: the overall manufacturing cost is significantly reduced compared with viral vectors, while improving safety and accessibility without compromising modification efficiency.
Abstract Number: #3101
Abstract Title: Stable and effcient gene modification of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes across multiple cancer types using non-viral electroporation-based NovaGMP platform
Poster Presentation Time: May.11 - May.15, 2026
To further validate the efficacy of the NovaGMP™ platform, the research team conducted a validation study using clinical samples across multiple cancer types. The trial enrolled a wide range of solid tumor clinical samples, including 18 cases of gynecological tumors, 15 cases of gastrointestinal tumors, 7 cases of melanoma, and 5 cases of other tumor types. TIL cells were isolated from patient samples and genetically modified via the NovaGMP™ platform. A systematic comprehensive evaluation was performed focusing on core dimensions including cell viability, expansion capacity, transfection efficiency, immunophenotype, and biological function.
The data fully demonstrate that the NovaGMP™ platform effectively breaks multiple limitations of traditional viral vector engineering technologies. It delivers a safe, efficient, and cost-controllable non-viral modification solution for TIL cells derived from diverse solid tumors, laying a solid technical foundation for the industrialization of next-generation genetically modified TIL therapies.
