A private biotech company advancing a pipeline of off-the-shelf, allogeneic NK cell therapies, for the treatment of hematologic cancers or solid tumors.

The US biotech was founded on the understanding that NK cells hold enormous therapeutic potential as cancer therapies and the dedication and expertise to overcome technological barriers in the scaling and manufacturing of these cells.

Artiva’s internal CAR-NK programs include AB-201, a novel HER2-specific CAR-NK cell therapy for the treatment of HER2+ solid tumors, and AB-202, a CD19-specific CAR-NK cell therapy for the treatment of B-cell malignancies, which is being developed under Artiva’s master license and option agreement with GC LabCell Corporation, with plans to enter clinical trials in 2022.

The firm's pipeline also includes AB-101, a universal NK cell therapy for use in combination with monoclonal antibodies or innate-cell engagers.

In January 2021, Artiva entered into an exclusive worldwide collaboration and license agreement with Merck & Co to develop novel chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-NK cell therapies targeting solid tumor-associated antigens.

This collaboration will leverage Artiva’s off-the-shelf allogeneic NK cell manufacturing platform, along with its proprietary CAR-NK technology. The deal initially includes two CAR-NK programs with an option for a third, none of which are in Artiva’s current or planned pipeline.