UTC Therapeutics
A Multi-Layered Immune Strategy for Hard-to-Treat Tumors

For years, the most aggressive cancers have resisted major therapeutic advances. CAR-T therapies have transformed the treatment of blood cancer. But solid tumors, such as those in the lung, liver, pancreas and kidney, continue to evade attack behind layers of immune defenses.

UTC Therapeutics is pioneering next-generation immunotherapies designed to overcome the biological resistance that has long limited success in treating solid tumors.

The clinical-stage biotechnology company centers its innovation on the proprietary Lymphocyte and APC Co-stimulator (LACO-Stim) platform, a first-in-class, dual-functional breakthrough that unites CAR-T technology and tumor vaccines into a single, synergistic therapy.

This approach orchestrates adoptive immunity through CAR-T, and adaptive and innate immunity through tumor vaccines, building a system that mobilizes the body’s full immune arsenal. The ‘whole-immune activation’ strategy targets the principal barriers to treatment: tumor heterogeneity and the suppressive tumor microenvironment.

"We don’t just create immunotherapies,” says Yangbing Zhao, president and CSO. “We design treatments to tackle the distinct hurdles of solid tumors, where others have struggled for decades."

With over three decades of expertise in T-cell engineering and immunology, Zhao provides the scientific vision behind UTC’s translational approach, positioning the company at the forefront of cell-based immunotherapy.

This scientific rigor is already translating into clinical success. In patients with late-stage lung, liver and renal cancers, remission rates have exceeded 50 percent. One patient has remained in remission for over 15 months, a milestone rarely achieved with conventional treatments. Preclinical studies further demonstrate marked increases in intratumoral T-cell density and the duration of anti-tumor responses.

UTC advances these outcomes through collaborations with leading research institutions and academic medical centers across China, its principal partners in multi-center trials for solid tumors.

Activating the Immune Arsenal to Defeat Tumor Resistance

The LACO-Stim platform is the engine driving UTC’s whole-immune activation strategy. Unlike conventional immune boosters that act externally, LACO-Stim is endogenously secreted by CAR-T cells following infusion, synchronized with the body’s natural hematopoietic recovery. This precision timing ensures immune amplification when the body is most capable of sustaining it, minimizing off-target toxicity while maximizing potency.

Once released, LACO-Stim initiates a self-sustaining immune amplification loop that reinforces both infused CAR-T cells and the body’s own peripheral T cells. This coordination expands the effector T-cell population, enhances infiltration into dense tumor stroma and sustains immune activity even within highly suppressive microenvironments. The result is a broad, system-wide response that transforms localized immune reactions into durable anti-tumor immunity.

LACO-Stim operates on multiple levels. It activates and matures dendritic cells, reprograms macrophages from the immunosuppressive M2 to the pro-inflammatory M1 subtype and reduces myeloid-derived suppressor cells that typically inhibit immune function. At the same time, it blocks inhibitory pathways such as PD-1/PD-L1, adenosine and TGF-β, transforming immune deserts into active battlegrounds.

The dual-functional design targets both antigen-presenting cells and T cells. That creates a synchronized immune cascade that amplifies systemic T-cell expansion and enables deep, sustained tumor infiltration. By promoting epitope spreading, LACO-Stim broadens the immune system’s recognition of tumor variants, helping to prevent immune escape and target heterogeneous cancer cell populations.

LACO-Stim acts as a universal immune amplifier, strengthening CAR-T therapy while enhancing the performance of checkpoint inhibitors, tumor vaccines and other cell-based immunotherapies. It establishes a foundation for long-term and coordinated immune control of solid tumors.

Engineering Accessible Therapies for Global Impact

UTC’s innovation pipeline extends its immune-engineering strategy with mRNA CAR-T therapies optimized for rapid manufacturing and controlled CAR expression. These therapies are highly active against mesothelin-positive tumors, including malignant pleural mesothelioma and pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.

In a Phase I clinical trial, UTC’s mRNA CAR-T achieved objective response rates exceeding 30 percent, with minimal cytokine release syndrome and immune cell-associated neurotoxicity. Patients also experienced improved comfort and quality of life from four weeks of short, outpatient infusions.

A commitment to accessibility defines every stage of UTC’s mission. It is advancing low-cost, fast-processing cell therapies, including FlashCAR and in vivo CAR-T, to make advanced treatments accessible to more patients. Its in vivo CAR-T technology has achieved 50 percent CAR-T positive cells in the blood of humanized mouse models and controlled solid tumor growth, a pivotal step that eliminates ex vivo cell manipulation and supports the development of scalable, affordable cell therapy.

“We build with rigor over novelty,” says Zhao. “Every platform we create is designed to translate into real, lasting clinical benefit.”

Behind these breakthroughs stands a world-class team of experts in T-cell engineering and biopharmaceuticals, uniting rigorous science with transformational vision. Innovation is guided by three core values — patient-centricity, science-driven innovation and the pursuit of excellence.

Patient needs guide UTC’s therapy development and delivery, ensuring treatments are both clinically effective and economically viable. Its science-led innovation continues to expand the reach and impact of immune-engineered therapies by harnessing advanced technologies such as CRISPR and RNA electroporation. The commitment to excellence extends across all operations. Rigorous quality and scalable processes are foundational to the ability to deliver reliable therapies to patients worldwide.

These principles have earned UTC recognition at national, municipal and industry levels, honors that validate its leadership in cancer immunotherapy innovation and biotechnological advancements.

With LACO-Stim at its core, UTC Therapeutics is advancing intelligent immunotherapies built to outsmart the most resilient tumors and to bring transformative care within global reach.