Salim Dhanji: In Vivo CAR Therapy and Accessible Cancer Treatment | Stories in Life Sciences

In vivo CAR therapy delivers cancer-fighting immune cell reprogramming through a simple injection, skipping the external manufacturing process that makes traditional CAR T therapy cost close to half a million dollars per patient. In this episode of Stories in Life Sciences by MedAxis AI, Christopher Wilson sits down with Salim Dhanji, PhD, CEO and Co-Founder of ME Therapeutics Holdings Inc. (CSE: METX), to explore how his team is building a platform to bring in vivo CAR therapy to patients who currently have no accessible treatment options.Dr. Salim brings 25+ years as an immunologist and 20+ publications in cancer, autoimmunity, and inflammation to a preclinical company founded at UBC in 2014. ME Therapeutics' platform focuses on reshaping the tumor microenvironment, with a CD19/CD22 in vivo CAR lead program licensed from the National Research Council of Canada and a first-in-human clinical trial targeted for late 2026 or early 2027.We cover:How in vivo CAR therapy works and how it compares to traditional ex vivo CAR T manufacturingThe tumor microenvironment and why myeloid cells are central to ME Therapeutics' platformThe CD19/CD22 in vivo CAR lead program licensed from the National Research Council of CanadaLipid nanoparticle delivery and the role of COVID vaccine technology in unlocking in vivo immune reprogrammingThe Canadian biotech capital landscape and the strategic case for a Nasdaq or NYSE American uplistingME Therapeutics' path to a first-in-human clinical trial targeted for late 2026 or early 2027What it takes to build a lean preclinical biotech and why Salim believes lean is a strategic choice, not a constraintWho this is for: biotech founders navigating the transition from preclinical to clinical stage, immunologists thinking about company formation, and life sciences investors tracking the in vivo CAR and immune reprogramming space.Guest:Salim Dhanji, PhD, CEO and Co-Founder, ME Therapeuticswww.metherapeutics.comhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/salim-dhanjihttps://www.linkedin.com/company/me-therapeuticsHost:Christopher Wilson, Founder, MedAxis AIwww.medaxisai.orghttps://www.linkedin.com/in/christopher-wilson-medaxisaihttps://www.linkedin.com/company/medaxisai