Reprogramming Stars #6:A Venture Based in Cellular Reprogramming—An Interview with Dr. Cristiana Pires

REPROGRAMMING STAR: Dr. Cristiana F. Pires is CEO and co-founder of Asgard
Therapeutics. Asgard Therapeutics is a Swedish biotech company focusing on the development of groundbreaking cancer immunotherapies based on direct cell reprogramming technologies. Formed as a spinoff from Lund University, the company is pioneering a cancer gene therapy approach based on its proprietary TrojanDC technology. This is based on the expression of three transcription factors that convert somatic cells into dendritic cells. When reprogramming is applied to cancer cells, it induces efficient presentation of cancer own (neo-)antigens to the immune system, eliciting potent anticancer immune responses. Designed as an off-the-shelf gene therapy, Asgard’s approach overcomes many of the logistic and manufacturing hurdles of conventional cell-based therapies.