Cellmeric targets 80% cut in cell-based cancer treatment costs

Its tech avoids unwanted DNA mutations and removes costly safety tests.

Hong Kong biotech startup Cellmeric Ltd. is developing a low-energy gene-delivery platform that could cut the cost of cell-based cancer therapies by as much as 80% and scale more easily than virus-based manufacturing.

Founded in 2025, Cellmeric aims to bring the cost of Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy down to $500,000 from about $2.5m, CEO and founder Patrick Tang told Hong Kong Business.

The company uses a “virus-free” method that delivers genetic material directly into cells without relying on modified viral vectors—the conventional but costly approach.

Traditional CAR-T production uses engineered viruses to insert a cancer-fighting gene into a patient’s T-cells. The process is effective but expensive due to the risk of off-target gene insertion and the extensive safety testing required.

“Some nonviral options use high energy or chemicals that kill most of the cells,” Tang said in a Zoom interview. “Our platform avoids any unwanted DNA mutations and cuts out costly safety tests and production steps.”

The startup’s low-energy system maintains cell viability above 70% after a gene change, compared with about 10% for some existing nonviral tools, he said.

Cellmeric plans to raise $23m to build a good manufacturing practice (GMP)-compliant production system. Tang said the company would work with a partner in Mainland China to adapt the platform to a specific ISO (International Organization for Standardization) protocol for GMP use.

Once established, the system could support CAR-T production or other cell-therapy manufacturing directly within hospitals.

The firm has secured $20m in backing so far from the Chinese University of Hong Kong’s Faculty of Medicine, Hong Kong government innovation programmes, and the Hong Kong Science and Technology Park.

Part of the new funding round will go toward strengthening its patent portfolio, which includes filings in Hong Kong, Mainland China, and the US.

Cellmeric plans to launch its platform first in Hong Kong and Mainland China before entering markets with more mature cell-therapy uptake, including the US and Canada, Tang said.