NanoKar Therapeutics
ITAM-Optimized Cell Therapy Platform
health AI / biotech / medtech (CAR-T optimization platform)
StageSeed
YC batchInnosphere Ventures accelerator program
Founded2025
Employees2
LocationSalt Lake City, UT
Business modelB2B / SaaS? (platform for CAR-T developers; licensing/licensing-like collaboration)
About
NanoKar Therapeutics discovered that chimeric antigen receptors function as mechanosensors, and developed a platform to engineer them. Our patent-pending ITAM optimization technology tunes the intracellular signaling of any CAR construct to extend persistence, reduce exhaustion, and improve solid tumor efficacy. 26 tunable signaling variants. 100% survival across five tumor re-challenges in a preclinical B-ALL model. Compatible with CAR-T, NK-CAR, Macrophage CAR, TCR CAR, and BCR CAR constructs. No changes to targeting, co-stimulation, or manufacturing.
Product
- Value proposition
- An ITAM optimization platform that tunes intracellular signaling to improve persistence and reduce toxicity of CAR-T therapies, enabling better efficacy in solid tumors without competing CAR-T approaches.
- Target customers
- Biotech and pharmaceutical partners developing CAR-T therapies
Founders
- Matt Bettini — Founder & Chief Scientific Officer
- Unnamed Co-founder — Founder & Board Member
Categories
Cell TherapyImmuno-oncologyBiotechnologyBiotech ToolsBioengineering
Products
ITAM optimization platform for CAR-T cellsζ-ITAM optimized CAR-T constructs (lead ζ-ITAM)ITAM tuning platform (26 ITAM variants)
Key features
ITAM optimization of intracellular signalingtuning of activation signal at sourceenhanced persistence and reduced toxicitypreclinical efficacy signals in solid tumorsplatform compatible with existing CAR architectures
Technologies
ITAM tuningintracellular CD3ζ signaling optimizationcatch-bond mechanosensing in CAR-Tpreclinical models in CD19+ and solid tumors
Integrations
EHR integrations not applicablelab/biotech workflowscollaborations with pharma/biotech partners
Target conditions
Solid tumorsHematologic malignancies (CAR-T related)
Care settings
research laboratorybiotech company partnerships
Certifications
HIPAA (assumed for US healthcare startups)FDA status not statedOther regulatory statuses not stated
Partnerships
Innosphere Ventures accelerator (accelerator program)partnership strategy and translational data priorities as it advances toward partner-ready commercialization
Traction metrics
Preclinical efficacy signals in solid tumors100% survival across five tumor re-challenges in CD19 xenograft B-ALL model26 ITAM variants enabling tuning of T cell activation
Competitors
Standard CAR-T therapies (reference in text)other ITAM or intracellular signaling modification approaches (not named)
Investors
University of Utah Launchpad Seed Fund
News
- NanoKar Therapeutics secures exclusive worldwide license from the University of Utah for next-generation CAR-T cell therapy platform – Utah Business · 2026-06-01T19:36:54.000Z
- Partnering for CAR-T Advancements | Craig Mosman posted on the ... · 2026-06-22T00:00:00.000Z
- University of Utah Technology Licensing Office's Post - LinkedIn · 2026-06-03T00:00:00.000Z
- Cleveland Clinic Advances Cell Therapy Innovation at BIO 2026 · 2026-06-04T00:00:00.000Z
- SPARC Health, BioUtah Co-Host Shark Tank-Style Pitch ... · 2026-01-15T00:00:00.000Z
- CAR-T Cell Therapy: Empowering the Immune System to Fight Cancer · 2026-06-15T00:00:00.000Z
More links
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Profile updated Jul 29, 2026. Sources: nanokartherapeutics.com, linkedin.com
