Genome Engineered B-cell Therapeutics
Innovative B-cell Immunotherapy for HER2-positive Cancers and B-cell Gene Therapy for Those with Severe Hemophilia A
About Bespoke Biotherapeutics
Bespoke Biotherapeutics was created to overcome obstacles to the effective natural immune response and limitations of currently approved immunotherapies against cancer by inventing novel, customized (i.e., bespoke) "living drugs" called engineered B-cell therapeutics. Most recently and because of Bespoke's focus on the non-viral integration of large (greater than 5kb) transgene cargo into B-cells, Bespoke has added a program focused on chronic coagulation factor VIII replacement therapy for persons with severe hemophilia A.
Innovative Technology
Bespoke is built upon customized B-cell sourcing, isolation, activation, culture expansion, and non-viral genetic engineering methodologies uniquely suited to optimize commercial B-cell products for infusion. As illustrated in the manufacturing process figure below, we avoid the costs and limitations of apheresis procedures, chemotherpy conditioning, and virus-based technologies.
Impactful Pipeline
Bespoke is focused on utilizing its platform technologies including NINJA engineering (non-viral, large transgene, homology-mediated end-joining using CRISPR/Cas9) to create a pipeline of autologous and allogeneic (off-the-shelf) products to address the needs of persons with solid tumor cancers and those with severe (i.e., associated with spontaneous bleeding) hemophilia A.
Foundational Intellectual Property
Bespoke's innovative technology and impactful pipeline are supported by intellectual property (IP) including eleven (11) granted US and three (3) granted international B-cell engineering patents plus multiple pending B-cell engineering patent applications. This IP position favorably positions the company and serves as a foundation upon which additional new patent applications will be generated.
Founders & Leadership
Steven R. Deitcher, M.D. Founder, CEO, and Chairman
Kirk Trisler, Ph.D. Co-Founder and Head of Technical Operations
Branden Moriarity, Ph.D. Scientific Co-Founder and Head of Discovery Research
Steven is a results-driven biotechnology leader and entrepreneur with over 25 years of academic and business experience, including private and public company CEO roles. He has led successful INDs, NDAs, product approvals, fundraising, and exits. Prior to industry, he held leadership clinical, science, and education roles at the Cleveland Clinic and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
Branden Moriarity, Ph.D. Scientific Co-Founder and Head of Discovery Research
Kirk Trisler, Ph.D. Co-Founder and Head of Technical Operations
Branden Moriarity, Ph.D. Scientific Co-Founder and Head of Discovery Research
Branden is a pioneer and expert in viral and non-viral immune cell genome engineering. He leads a robust academic research program focused on engineering B-cells and other immune cells into immunotherapies for clinical trial. He co-founded B-MoGen Biotechnologies (acquired by Bio-Techne) and Catamaran Bio, a company focused on engineered NK-cell therapies against cancer.
Kirk Trisler, Ph.D. Co-Founder and Head of Technical Operations
Kirk Trisler, Ph.D. Co-Founder and Head of Technical Operations
Kirk Trisler, Ph.D. Co-Founder and Head of Technical Operations
Kirk has over 25 years of pharmaceutical and biotechnology drug development experience, specializing in bio-manufacturing technical operations, including all aspects of chemistry, manufacturing, and controls. He has extensive FDA regulatory experience related to a broad array of personalized autologous and off-the-shelf, allogeneic cellular therapies, including CAR-T products.
Scientific Advisors
Dr. Tullia C. Bruno SAB Member
Dr. Tullia C. Bruno SAB Member
Dr. Tullia C. Bruno SAB Member
Tullia is a leader in the fields of intra-tumoral B-cell function, spatial imaging, and transcriptomics. Her research lab is focused on the study of how B-cells impact T-cells in the tumor microenvironment within tumor-associated (tertiary) lymphoid structures. Tullia is an Assistant Professor of Immunology at the University of Pittsburgh and a faculty member in the Tumor Microenvironment Center and Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy Program at the UPMC Hillman Cancer Center. She completed her doctoral training at Johns Hopkins and post-doctoral training at the University of Colorado - both with a focus in tumor immunology. Tullia is active in the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer and a co-organizer of the B-cells in Cancer Consortium (BC^3).
Dr. Brad H. Nelson SAB Member
Dr. Tullia C. Bruno SAB Member
Dr. Tullia C. Bruno SAB Member
Brad is a distinguished scientist and inventor of immune-based strategies to prevent, detect, and treat cancer. His laboratory uses
genomic technologies, bioinformatics, clinical specimens, and animal models to map the immune response to solid tumors such as breast, ovarian, and prostate cancers.
Brad is the scientific co-director of British Columbia's Cancer's Immunotherapy Program, Professor of Biochemistry/Microbiology at the University of Victoria, Professor of Medical Genetics at the University of British Columbia, and founding Director of the Deeley Research Centre. He completed his doctoral training at the UC Berkeley and post-doctoral training at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. Brad is a co-organizer of BC^3 along with Tullia Bruno.
Dr. Justin J. Taylor SAB Member
Dr. Yuliya Pylayeva-Gupta SAB Member
Dr. Yuliya Pylayeva-Gupta SAB Member
Justin is a rising star in the fields of B-cell immunology, antibody production, and B-cell engineering. His laboratory uses advanced genome editing techniques to produce engineered B-cells capable of producing protective antibodies against viral pathogens, some of which are associated with cancer development. Justin is an Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine and Member of the Beirne B. Carter Immunology Center at the University of Virginia. He completed his doctoral training in immunology at the University of Pennsylvania and post-doctoral training at the University of Minnesota.
Dr. Yuliya Pylayeva-Gupta SAB Member
Dr. Yuliya Pylayeva-Gupta SAB Member
Dr. Yuliya Pylayeva-Gupta SAB Member
Yuliya is well-known for her groundbreaking and innovative research in the field of regulatory B-cells and the role of interleukin-35 in cancer. Her laboratory specifically focuses on immune response evasion and the role of B-cells in Kras driven pancreatic cancer as well as evolution of the tumor microenvironment. Yuliya is an Associate Professor of Genetics and Member of the Lineberger Cancer Center at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. She completed her doctoral training at Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences / Sloan-Kettering Division and post-doctoral training at New York University School of Medicine.
Background Literature
B-cells to the Forefront of Immunotherapy
Tumour-infiltrating B-cells: Immunological Mechanisms, Clinical Impact and Therapeutic Opportunities
B-cells to the Forefront of Immunotherapy
Nature 2020; 577:474-476.
B-cells and Cancer
Tumour-infiltrating B-cells: Immunological Mechanisms, Clinical Impact and Therapeutic Opportunities
B-cells to the Forefront of Immunotherapy
Cancer Cell 2021; 39:1293-1296.
Tumour-infiltrating B-cells: Immunological Mechanisms, Clinical Impact and Therapeutic Opportunities
Tumour-infiltrating B-cells: Immunological Mechanisms, Clinical Impact and Therapeutic Opportunities
Tumour-infiltrating B-cells: Immunological Mechanisms, Clinical Impact and Therapeutic Opportunities
Nat Rev Cancer 2022; 22:414-430.
Engineering of Primary Human B-cells with CRISPR/Cas9 Targeted Nuclease
B-cells Engineered to Express Pathogen-specific Antibodies Protect Against Infection
Tumour-infiltrating B-cells: Immunological Mechanisms, Clinical Impact and Therapeutic Opportunities
Sci Rep 2018;8:12144.
B-cells Engineered to Express Pathogen-specific Antibodies Protect Against Infection
B-cells Engineered to Express Pathogen-specific Antibodies Protect Against Infection
B-cells Engineered to Express Pathogen-specific Antibodies Protect Against Infection
Sci Immunol 2019; 4:eaax0644.
Primary B-cell Engineering for Therapeutic Research
B-cells Engineered to Express Pathogen-specific Antibodies Protect Against Infection
B-cells Engineered to Express Pathogen-specific Antibodies Protect Against Infection
Trends Mol Med 2022; 28:P528-529.
CRISPR/Cas9-Mediated Genome Engineering of Primary Human B-cells
Cas9-induced Targeted Integration of Large DNA Payloads via Homology-mediated End-joining Repair
CRISPR/Cas9-Mediated Genome Engineering of Primary Human B-cells
Methods Mol Biol 2020; 2115:435-444.
Regulatory B cells in Cancer
Cas9-induced Targeted Integration of Large DNA Payloads via Homology-mediated End-joining Repair
CRISPR/Cas9-Mediated Genome Engineering of Primary Human B-cells
Immunol Rev 2021; 299:74-92.
Cas9-induced Targeted Integration of Large DNA Payloads via Homology-mediated End-joining Repair
Cas9-induced Targeted Integration of Large DNA Payloads via Homology-mediated End-joining Repair
Bioinformatics-Based Identification of Human B-Cell Receptor (BCR) Stimulation-Associated Genes and
Nat Biomed Eng 2023; Epub ahead of print.
Bioinformatics-Based Identification of Human B-Cell Receptor (BCR) Stimulation-Associated Genes and
Bioinformatics-Based Identification of Human B-Cell Receptor (BCR) Stimulation-Associated Genes and
Bioinformatics-Based Identification of Human B-Cell Receptor (BCR) Stimulation-Associated Genes and
BioMedInformatics 2024; 4:1384-95.