• CytoImmune is Developing a Suite of Novel Engineered Natural Killer Cell Therapeutics for the Treatment of Patients with Cancer
• The Company is Opening a New Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) Clinical Cell Production Facility in Toa Baja Custom-Designed to Produce Natural Killer Cell Therapies for Evaluation in Multiple Clinical Trials Beginning in 2022

Toa Baja, Puerto Rico – CytoImmune Therapeutics, a clinical-stage immunotherapy company that is developing a novel class of engineered natural killer (NK) cell-based cancer therapies, today announced the opening of the Company’s clinical cell manufacturing facility in Toa Baja, which was celebrated with a visit from the Governor of Puerto Rico, Pedro R. Pierluisi. The Secretary of Economic Development and Commerce, Manuel Cidre, and the Mayor of the municipality, Bernardo “Betito” Márquez, were also in attendance during the opening of the facility.  

“We chose Puerto Rico to develop and manufacture these innovative cancer treatments based on the significant scientific capabilities of our local talent and the decades of experience on the island in biopharmaceutical manufacturing. Our goal is to create cellular immunotherapies for patients to recognize and kill cancer cells. The work by the Company here holds the potential to positively impact patients around the world,” said José Eduardo Vidal, Ph.D., Chief Operating Officer of the company. 

CytoImmune is leveraging proprietary, robust, and well-characterized natural killer (NK) cell expansion and engineering technologies to advance its tumor-reactive NK (TRACK-NK™) cell therapies for patients with cancer. The cells are engineered to directly attack cancer cells and broadly stimulate both the innate and adaptive arms of the human immune system through the potent release of interleukin 15, enabling robust and specific tumor killing. The CytoImmune clinical cell manufacturing facility in Toa Baja is custom-designed to support all manufacturing needs for the Company’s cell therapies, allowing the Company to accelerate the research and development efforts.  

“In Puerto Rico, we have the talent, the resources, and the potential for this type of Biosciences company to successfully establish itself here. We receive the inauguration of Cytolmmune’s operations on the Island with great enthusiasm, which also shows that our investment climate continues to be positive, and this has a direct effect on job creation and our economic development. Without a doubt, this represents a great injection into the economy, not only for the municipality of Toa Baja but for all of Puerto Rico,” said Governor Pedro R. Pierluisi.

“The early investment in our manufacturing capabilities will accelerate our clinical trials with collaboration between our clinical teams and the supply chain management. Further, developing this internal expertise in manufacturing also shortens the time needed to advance our newest innovations from the laboratory bench to patients,” explained Christina Coughlin M.D., Ph.D., CEO of CytoImmune Therapeutics, Inc. 

“Just over a year ago, we announced the establishment of Cytolmmune Therapeutics Puerto Rico, and today we are glad to be witnesses of its opening in Toa Baja. This operation will be the first on the Island whose purpose is to conduct research, development, and manufacturing in the 37,000 square-foot facility. The main part of our economic development strategy relies on innovation in the biopharmaceutical sector, where research and development are in the front line. Thank you for being part of Puerto Rico’s transformation and for trusting our capable workforce”, expressed Manuel Cidre, secretary of the Department of Economic Development and Commerce.

About CytoImmune Therapeutics

CytoImmune Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of novel cancer immunotherapy products designed to utilize the power of the engineered cells to activate the patient’s immune system to eliminate cancer cells. The company is advancing a differentiated pipeline of off-the-shelf NK cell therapies, using proprietary, robust, and well-characterized NK cell expansion and engineering technologies that are designed to provide effector cell therapy with broad immune stimulation, to enable effective tumor killing in both solid tumors and hematologic malignancies. For more information, please visit Cytoimmune.com