London, UK – 12 September 2025 – Avigen Ltd (“the Company”), a privately held Contract Research Organisation developing advanced preclinical immunotherapy R&D services using its proprietary microfluidic platform, today announced a preclinical research and development (R&D) collaboration with NK:IO, a biotechnology company pioneering natural killer (NK) cell-based therapies for haematological and solid tumours.
This collaboration marks a significant step in Avigen’s mission to accelerate the development of next-generation cellular immunotherapies. Working together, Avigen and NK:IO will assess the efficacy of novel approaches combining NK cells with cell engagers for the treatment of solid tumours. By combining Avigen’s high-throughput validation capabilities with NK:IO’s pioneering approaches in NK cell biology, the collaboration aims to generate valuable insights that will support the development of more effective cancer immunotherapies.
Our collaboration with NK:IO represents an important milestone for Avigen as we extend the application of our platform to NK cell-based therapies. By supporting NK:IO’s unique approach, we aim to help advance their mission of developing effective treatments for solid tumours, while further validating our technology beyond T-cell receptor therapies
Dr Neelima KC, CSO of Avigen
NK:IO is a leader in natural killer cell biology, applying pioneering discoveries from Professors Hugh J. M. Brady (Immunology) and Matt Fuchter (Chemistry) at Imperial College London. The company has developed a proprietary platform that activates blood stem cell progenitors to generate NK cells with industry-leading tumour-killing potency and high-yield production. This platform also enables efficient engineering of progenitor cells to produce next-generation NK cells with enhanced potency and tumour-targeting capabilities, addressing some of the hardest-to-treat cancer subtypes.
About Avigen
Avigen is a Contract Research Organisation developing a cutting-edge microfluidic platform to accelerate and streamline the preclinical development and translation of cellular immunotherapies. Avigen’s platform offers holistic insights into cellular interactions at unparalleled throughput, enabling a confident prediction of therapeutic potential to facilitate the rapid validation of immune cell constructs. Avigen is committed to enabling biotech and pharmaceutical companies to unlock the full potential of cellular immunotherapies and bring the next generation of cancer treatments to patients.
To learn more visit: www.avigen.bio
About NK:IO
NK:IO is a biotechnology company pioneering natural killer (NK) cell therapies for the treatment of haematological and solid tumours. Building on world-leading discoveries in NK cell biology at Imperial College London, NK:IO has developed a unique platform that activates blood stem cell progenitors to yield highly potent, off-the-shelf NK cells with superior tumour-killing capacity and production scalability. NK:IO is advancing its pipeline of therapies with the potential to transform cancer treatment by overcoming long-standing challenges in NK cell persistence, potency, and delivery.
To learn more visit: https://nk-io.com/
Contacts
For more information or media enquiries email Avigen at info@avigen.bio.