San Antonio, TX – Powerhouse Therapeutics Inc is proud to announce that Dr. Gang Huang, a Professor in the Department of Cell Systems and Anatomy and the Kathryn Mays Johnson Distinguished Chair in Oncology at UT Health San Antonio and chief scientific officer at Powerhouse Therapeutics, was awarded the prestigious Synergy Award to advance his research on PH102, a novel GPC3 triple threat CAR T-cell-based therapy designed to combat hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).
HCC remains a prevalent and deadly cancer, particularly in South Texas, where it disproportionately affects disadvantaged communities due to limited therapeutic options. Dr. Huang's project, in collaboration with Dr. LuZhe Sun, focuses on developing a groundbreaking CAR T-cell therapy that targets GPC3, a protein highly expressed in liver cancer. PH102 is engineered to overcome three critical mechanisms of tumor resistance, making it a promising approach to treating this aggressive form of cancer.
"With support from the Synergy Award, we are poised to push PH102 closer to clinical trials, bringing much-needed innovation to the fight against hepatocellular carcinoma," said Dr. Huang. "This funding will allow us to generate essential preclinical data and accelerate the development of this therapy for patients regionally and beyond."
PH102 has shown great potential in preclinical models, demonstrating enhanced T-cell activation, persistence, and infiltration into tumors. By addressing multiple pathways of immune evasion, PH102 could revolutionize the way solid tumors like HCC are treated.
The Synergy Award, an initiative by UT Health San Antonio's Office of Technology Commercialization, aims to support early-stage innovation and applied research that has the potential to significantly impact healthcare. This funding will play a pivotal role in advancing PH102 toward clinical trials, addressing a critical unmet need in liver cancer treatment.
Powerhouse Therapeutics congratulates Dr. Huang and his team on this achievement and remains committed to transforming innovative scientific discoveries into life-saving therapies.
For more information on Powerhouse Therapeutics and PH102, please visit our website or contact us directly.
