CF-033
A potential first-in-class allogeneic PRAME-targeting iNKT cell therapy to treat advanced cancers in young patients.
In collaboration with:
Target:
PRAME
Modality:
iNKT cell therapy
Indication:
Multiple
CF-033 is an allogeneic, off-the-shelf, iNKT cell therapy engineered with a specific T-cell receptor targeting PRAME, a tumour-specific antigen expressed in many paediatric cancers.
CF-033 aims to directly kill tumour cells while harnessing the immune response, to target advanced paediatric cancers where outcomes following relapse remain poor and new treatment approaches are urgently needed.
Research partner leads
Dr Marco Purbhoo
Head of Translational Medicine
MiNK Therapeutics
Ali Roghanian
Associate Professor
University of Southampton
C-Further project lead
Claire Reader
Principal Scientist
LifeArc
For me, C-Further is a crucial step forward in the current landscape. Bringing the sector together creates a pathway to advance new treatments and offer real hope for children who currently have no options. Seeing the first projects launch is exciting—these studies aren’t small tweaks, they open new ways to fight cancer alongside existing approaches. I hope this momentum will continue and help ensure other families don’t face the same heartbreak we did with Will.
John Rainsbury, father of Will
Patient advocate
About overcoming limitations of current cell therapies
While engineered T‑cell therapies have shown clinical activity in adult cancers, their use in children has been limited. These therapies often require patient‑specific manufacturing, long production timelines, and intensive pre‑treatment regimens.
This project focuses on an allogeneic iNKT cell platform. The cells are engineered to directly kill tumour cells whilst simultaneously activating the immune system.
The platform is designed to address key limitations associated with conventional cell therapies. It removes the need for patient-specific manufacturing, reduces production timelines, and intensive pre-treatment regimens.
As an allogeneic, off-the-shelf therapy derived from healthy donors, iNKT cells can be manufactured, stored, and rapidly deployed. This may enable faster access to treatment and improved tolerability, which is particularly important in paediatric oncology.
Upcoming deadline: 13 March 2026
We welcome expressions of interest at any time, but to be reviewed in this round, they must be submitted before the closing date at 23:59 GMT. Early submissions are encouraged.
