Cell Design Labs

About Cell Design Labs

Cell Design Labs, a biotechnology company founded in 2015, operated as a subsidiary of Gilead Sciences and Kite Pharma following its acquisition. The company was co-founded by Brian Atwood and Wendell Lim. The firm's scientific foundation is based on research from Dr. Lim's lab at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), where he is a professor and pioneer in synthetic biology. Atwood served as the President and CEO.

The company's core business involved developing cell-based therapies by engineering immune cells to treat diseases, with an initial focus on cancer. Its proprietary technology platforms, synNotch™ and Throttle™, were central to its operations. The synNotch™ technology enables the creation of customized immune cells, or T cells, that are programmed to recognize specific disease targets, such as cancer cells, and activate a therapeutic response. This system allows for precise targeting, potentially leading to safer and more effective treatments by delivering therapeutic payloads like checkpoint inhibitors or custom cytokines directly to the tumor site. The Throttle™ platform acts as a molecular "on/off switch," allowing the activity of these engineered T cells to be controlled using small, FDA-approved molecules, which enhances the safety profile of the therapies.

Cell Design Labs' business model focused on developing its own portfolio of anticancer therapies while also forming partnerships with other oncology companies. The company's preclinical candidates included treatments for prostate cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma, and multiple myeloma. In December 2017, Gilead Sciences, along with its subsidiary Kite Pharma, announced an agreement to acquire Cell Design Labs for approximately $567 million. This acquisition integrated Cell Design Labs' cell engineering expertise and technology platforms into Gilead and Kite's research and development, aiming to accelerate the creation of next-generation CAR T-cell therapies for a broader range of cancers.