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Our Science

Why Most Cell Therapies Fail in Solid Tumors

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CAR-Ts can reach the tumor—but they lose function in days.

Even the best-engineered immune cells get silenced within days—crippled by the tumor’s defense system known as the tumor microenvironment (TME).

The TME Was Built to Shut Immune Cells Down

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TME Suppression Layers

  • Immunological (PD-1, CTLA4)

  • Biochemical (TGFβ, IL-10, adenosine)

  • Metabolic (hypoxia, acidic)

  • Structural (stromal barriers)

Tumors don’t just block one signal—they launch a coordinated, multi-layered defense.​​​​
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That’s why single-edits fail—and why we take a multiplexed approach tailored to the tumor’s full arsenal.

TME-Evasion: A New Immune Cell Chassis
Built to Resist Suppression—From the Start

KiraGen knocks out upstream receptors that sense TME signals—PD-1, TGFβR, Fas, A2AR, and more—creating a built-in resistance layer.​

No brute force. No overactivation. Just precision-built resilience.

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We don’t push harder—we engineer smarter.

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Two Paths to Overcome TME Suppression

Tumor Cell

Releases suppressive signals—like TGFβ, PD-L1, and adenosine—to shut down immune activity.

CAR-T Cell

Senses and reacts to these signals—unless reprogrammed to resist them.

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One reacts. The other is ready.

Supercharging

Strategy

Add activating receptors or remove internal brakes


Precision

Broad stimulation—not targeted to TME


Safety

Risk of off-tumor neurotoxicity (e.g., Regnase-1 KO)

Guarding (KiraGen)

Strategy
Remove external TME-sensing receptors


Precision
Edits tailored to 
dominant suppressive pathways


Safety
Preserves potency while minimizing 
toxicity in CNS

​​​​​​​KiraGen's approach is different:​​

 
We don’t override biology. We rewire it.
We don’t amplify force. We program persistence.
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