Carina Biotech was formed in 2016, as a spin-out of the highly successful CRC for Cell Therapy Manufacturing. Founding CEO, Dr Justin Coombs, conceived the idea of making a CAR-T cell targeted to a molecular marker described in the scientific literature as being present on many cancer cells but largely absent from healthy cells. He approached Professor Simon Barry’s lab at the Women’s & Children’s Hospital and asked him if he could make this CAR-T cell, and gained seed funding from the Women’s & Children’s Hospital Foundation. Despite Professor Barry’s lab having never made a CAR-T cell before, their expertise in T cell biology enabled them to successfully construct this CAR-T cell, which went on to demonstrate anticancer activity in a number of cancers in vitro and in small animal models.

Later, Dr Jane Rathjen joined the Carina team and she and Justin secured government grants and private equity investment, expanding the company. In mid 2020, Carina successfully sold the IP rights to its first lead CAR-T cell to UK/ Australian biopharmaceutical company Biosceptre. Shortly after this, Justin chose to step down from the role of CEO and the company welcomed Dr Deborah Rathjen as its new CEO. Justin took on the role of Head of IP and Technology Development.

Carina Biotech now employs four staff in its corporate team and funds several positions in laboratories across the Women’s & Children’s Hospital, UniSA and the University of Adelaide. Carina’s second CAR-T technology, targeted at a cancer stem cell, has shown promise as a potential therapeutic for a number of cancers. Carina is currently raising capital to take this CAR-T cell into the clinic – through the US FDA in a Phase I/II clinical trial for patients with advanced colorectal cancer.