Nkarta is a clinical-stage biotechnology company advancing the development of allogeneic, off-the-shelf natural killer (NK) cell therapies to treat autoimmune disease.
We’re combining our cell expansion and cryopreservation platform with proprietary cell engineering technologies to build a pipeline of future cell therapies engineered for deep therapeutic impact.
We’re on a mission to harness the body’s natural killer cells – the immune system’s first responders – to deliver a safe, accessible form of cell therapy to treat B cell-mediated autoimmune diseases. Our vision is to make cell therapy more broadly available to patients by pioneering allogeneic NK cells that can be dosed in outpatient, community health settings.
Nkarta’s engineering process enhances the natural ability of NK cells to fight disease by identifying and eliminating unhealthy cells, including malfunctioning B cells at the root of many autoimmune conditions. Our lead NK cell therapy candidate, NKX019, uses NK cells collected from healthy donors rather than burdening the patient with a blood collection. Using donor-derived cells allows us to develop CAR NK cells off the shelf and on demand.
“We work closely with patient advocacy groups to find out what’s important to them in a new treatment. We’ve met, for example, with many patient advocacy groups serving the lupus community, whose investigators told us that existing therapies that treat lupus are often ineffective. That’s why we started there.”
—Paul J. Hastings, Chief Executive Officer
Cell therapy has been approved to treat cancer since 2017. But when a ground-breaking study showed a CAR-T cell therapy induced drug-free remissions in a group of patients living with lupus nephritis, the scientific community took notice. Nkarta was founded to bring a different kind of cell therapy to the autoimmune disease community.
With autologous CAR-T cell therapies, an individually-tailored medicine must be created, requiring each patient’s cells to be extracted, engineered in the lab and reinfused back into them, followed by close patient monitoring for two potentially life-threatening adverse events: immune cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome (ICANS) and cytokine release syndrome (CRS). Nkarta’s approach is designed to overcome such manufacturing and safety challenges.
Our allogeneic NK cells are produced in our state-of-the-art commercial and clinical GMP manufacturing facilities located on our campus in South San Francisco. If we’re successful, Nkarta could be instrumental in democratizing access to cell therapy.
STRIVING TO DELIVER A BETTER FIT FOR PATIENTS
Patients with autoimmune diseases deserve therapies that are safe, effective and accessible. We believe the biology of NK cells makes them ideally suited for the job. We are developing NKX019 to meet these needs.
Uniquely effective: Autoimmune patients often miss days or weeks of work due to disease flare-ups, and the majority have tried multiple medications, including chronic treatments, with limited effectiveness in managing symptoms. There is an unmet need for better, disease-modifying therapies to help these patients live normal, productive lives. NK cell therapies have the potential to improve upon the standard of care by initiating an “immune reset.” Nkarta’s CAR NK cells are designed with the aim that they will safely find and eliminate aberrant, disease-causing B cells.
Improved safety profile: Nkarta’s goal is to administer CAR NK cells at therapeutic doses that are immediately active, meaning they don’t have to proliferate inside a patient’s body after administration. This is intended to reduce the risk of severe toxicities, including CRS and ICANS, a neurological condition that can involve headaches, difficulty communicating, disturbances in brain function and seizures.
More accessible: Autoimmune patients deserve treatments that are convenient and accessible without the burden of cell collection procedures, treatment delays, dosing in faraway places, and the potential for life-threatening toxicities. Our vision is that CAR NK cells will be ready when patients are ready. Our goal is to commercialize a form of cell therapy that can be administered in the outpatient setting without complicated logistics or a lengthy safety monitoring period required after treatment.
“Patients with autoimmune diseases won’t tolerate serious side effects, and they don’t want burden of having to see a specialist in some far-off academic center for treatment. We intentionally designed our NK cells with this in mind to create different kind of rheumatology drug that is safe and can be administered by the patient’s own physician in a comfortable, familiar setting where they already receive their regular care.”
—Paul J. Hastings, Chief Executive Officer
OUR INITIAL DISEASE TARGETS
Nkarta’s lead investigational program is NKX019, a CAR NK cell therapy targeting the CD19 antigen. It is designed to be a safe, disease-modifying and accessible treatment with the potential to transform the standard of care for B cell-mediated autoimmune diseases. Nkarta is evaluating the safety and tolerability of NKX019 in multiple autoimmune conditions, including lupus nephritis (LN), primary membranous nephropathy (pMN), systemic sclerosis (SSc), inflammatory myopathy (IMM) and antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis.
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
Mr. Hastings is the Chief Executive Officer of Nkarta and a member of the company's Board of Directors. Prior to joining Nkarta in 2018, he served as the Chief Executive Officer of successive biopharmaceutical companies including Chairman and CEO of OncoMed Pharmaceuticals, President and CEO of QLT, President and CEO of Axys Pharmaceuticals, which was acquired by Celera Corporation, President of Chiron BioPharmaceuticals, a division of Chiron Corporation, and President and CEO of LXR Biotechnology. Mr. Hastings also held a series of management positions of increasing responsibility at Genzyme Corporation, including President of Genzyme Therapeutics Europe as well as President, Genzyme Global Therapeutics. Earlier in his career, Mr. Hastings served as Vice President, Marketing and Sales and General Manager, Europe for Synergen and held a series of marketing and sales management positions with Hoffmann-La Roche.
He is currently a member of the Board of Directors of EnGene and recently served as the Chair of the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO). Previously Mr. Hastings led as a Director or Chairman of the Board of Directors of multiple biopharmaceutical companies, including Pacira Biosciences, ViaCyte (acquired by Vertex in 2022), Proteon Therapeutics, Relypsa (acquired by Galenica in 2016), Proteolix (acquired by Onyx Pharmaceuticals in 2010), and ViaCell (acquired by Perkin-Elmer in 2007). He is also the chair of the board of Youth Rally, Inc, a patient advocacy organization he co-founded and serves on the Board of the Termeer Foundation.
Mr. Hastings received a Bachelor of Science degree in pharmacy from the University of Rhode Island.
PRESIDENT
Dr. Mahmood was named President in 2024, with responsibility for driving the strategic focus, business excellence and technical success at the company. He previously served as the Chief Executive Officer of Rezo Therapeutics, a private-stage drug discovery company. Prior to joining Rezo Therapeutics, Dr. Mahmood served as Chief Financial and Business Officer at Nkarta, where he played a direct role in corporate strategy, including the company’s private and public financings as well as the formation of its in-house cell manufacturing capabilities. Earlier in his career, Dr. Mahmood led corporate development at Second Genome. Previously, he was a staff scientist at Kythera Biopharmaceuticals, where he oversaw preclinical research for the company’s lead molecule, Kybella®. Dr. Mahmood has also worked in equity research at Goldman Sachs and consulted for early-stage companies in the life sciences and clean energy sectors.
Dr. Mahmood is currently serving as Chair of the Board at California Life Sciences.
He earned a B.S. in biochemistry from the University of Texas at Austin and a Ph.D. in cell regulation from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, and completed postdoctoral research at the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, CA.
CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER AND HEAD OF RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT
Dr. Shook was appointed Chief Medical Officer and Head of Research & Development in 2024 and has served as Nkarta's Chief Medical Officer since 2023. He leads Nkarta’s clinical development, regulatory, translational, and research activities. He has more than 15 years of clinical research and development experience and has authored dozens of scientific publications covering all aspects of stem cell transplantation for cancer and non-malignant disease, as well as NK cell and T cell therapies for hematologic malignancies and solid tumors. Prior to joining Nkarta in 2020, Dr. Shook led multiple first-in-human cell therapy clinical trials, including pioneering the use of CD19 CAR NK cells. He was a fellow, fellowship director and faculty member at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, where he conducted research in the laboratory of Dario Campana, MD, PhD, Nkarta’s scientific founder.
Dr. Shook received his medical degree from The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and his bachelor’s degree in molecular biology from Purdue University. He is board certified in Pediatric Hematology & Oncology and General Pediatrics.
Dr. Behbahani, MD, MBA, joined NEA in 2007 and is a Partner on the healthcare team. He is a co-founder of Nkarta and specializes in investments in the biopharmaceutical, medical device, specialty pharmaceutical and healthcare services sectors. Prior to joining NEA, Dr. Behbahani worked as an intern and later as a consultant in business development at The Medicines Company, a specialty pharmaceutical company developing acute care cardiovascular products. He previously held positions as a Venture Associate at Morgan Stanley Venture Partners and as a Healthcare Investment Banking Analyst at Lehman Brothers. He conducted basic science research in the fields of viral fusion inhibition and structural proteomics at the National Institutes of Health and at Duke University.
Dr. Behbahani concurrently earned his MD degree from The University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and his MBA degree from The University of Pennsylvania Wharton School, where he graduated with Honors and was a Palmer Scholar. He graduated summa cum laude and received his bachelor’s degrees with distinction in Biomedical Engineering, Electrical Engineering and Chemistry from Duke University.
Dr. Dybbs has over 15 years of investment and consulting experience in the life science sector. Dr. Dybbs is currently a Partner at Samsara BioCapital. Prior to joining Samsara, Dr. Dybbs was a Partner at New Leaf Venture Partners, which he joined in 2009. Before New Leaf, Dr. Dybbs was a Principal at The Boston Consulting Group, where he was a core member of their Health Care practice. Dr. Dybbs currently serves as a director of Levo Therapeutics, Sutro BioPharma and IONpath. Previously, he served on the boards of Versartis, Dimension Therapeutics, Principia and Advanced Cell Diagnostics.
Dr. Dybbs earned a PhD in Molecular and Cellular Biology and Genetics from University of California, Berkeley, where he was awarded a Howard Hughes Medical Institute fellowship and received an AB in Biomedical Sciences from Harvard University. His research had been published in peer-reviewed journals, including Science, Nature and Neuron.
Dr. George joined SR One in 2007 and is CEO of the fund. He earned his MD and MBA from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine / Wharton School and BA from Johns Hopkins University. Previously, Dr. George worked in management consulting (Bain & Co.) and investment banking (Goldman Sachs). Simeon led SR One’s investments in several deals including CRISPR Therapeutics (CRSP), Principia Biopharma (PRNB, recently acquired by Sanofi for $3.7bn), Turning Point Therapeutics (TPTX), Progyny (PGNY), and Nkarta, Inc. (NKTX), which he co-founded.
Mr. Hastings is the Chief Executive Officer of Nkarta and a member of the company's Board of Directors. Prior to joining Nkarta in 2018, he served as the Chief Executive Officer of successive biopharmaceutical companies including Chairman and CEO of OncoMed Pharmaceuticals, President and CEO of QLT, President and CEO of Axys Pharmaceuticals, which was acquired by Celera Corporation, President of Chiron BioPharmaceuticals, a division of Chiron Corporation, and President and CEO of LXR Biotechnology. Mr. Hastings also held a series of management positions of increasing responsibility at Genzyme Corporation, including President of Genzyme Therapeutics Europe as well as President, Genzyme Global Therapeutics. Earlier in his career, Mr. Hastings served as Vice President, Marketing and Sales and General Manager, Europe for Synergen and held a series of marketing and sales management positions with Hoffmann-La Roche.
He is currently a member of the Board of Directors of EnGene and recently served as the Chair of the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO). Previously Mr. Hastings led as a Director or Chairman of the Board of Directors of multiple biopharmaceutical companies, including Pacira Biosciences, ViaCyte (acquired by Vertex in 2022), Proteon Therapeutics, Relypsa (acquired by Galenica in 2016), Proteolix (acquired by Onyx Pharmaceuticals in 2010), and ViaCell (acquired by Perkin-Elmer in 2007). He is also the chair of the board of Youth Rally, Inc, a patient advocacy organization he co-founded and serves on the Board of the Termeer Foundation.
Mr. Hastings received a Bachelor of Science degree in pharmacy from the University of Rhode Island.
Ms. Patterson has more than 20 years of public company experience in the biopharma industry, with significant expertise in strategy, finance, operations, and governance. She currently serves as Chief Business and Financial Officer of Zymeworks, Inc., a biotechnology company focused on developing novel, multifunctional biotherapeutics for difficult-to-treat diseases.
Previously she held senior leadership roles at Tenaya Therapeutics, Adverum Biotechnologies, Diadexus and Transcept Pharmaceuticals. Earlier in her career, she served in financial leadership roles at NetApp, Exelixis, Novartis AG and Chiron. She currently serves on the Board of Directors of Kalaris Therapeutics.
Ms. Patterson earned a B.S. in Business Administration and Accounting from Chapman University and an Executive M.B.A. from St. Mary’s College. Ms. Patterson is also a Certified Public Accountant (inactive status).
Dr. Scheiner joined RA Capital Management, LLC in 2015 where he is a Principal on the Investment Team. Prior to joining RA Capital, Dr. Scheiner was a Science Officer at the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine. He works on both public and private investments and serves as a board director of Lenz Therapeutics and several other privately-held companies. Dr. Scheiner holds a BS in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry from Yale University, and a PhD in Neurobiology and Behavior from the University of Washington.
Ms. Thedinga is an experienced biopharmaceutical manufacturing executive. She most recently served as Chief Technology Officer of Adverum Biotechnologies, Inc., where she led process development, manufacturing and supply chain functions supporting the development of ocular gene therapies. Ms. Thedinga joined Adverum in 2019. Previously she held executive roles in manufacturing and supply chain management and strategy at AveXis, now Novartis Gene Therapies, to deliver the first approved gene therapy for spinal muscular atrophy. Her earlier industry experience includes manufacturing strategy roles in bioprocess engineering at Abbott Laboratories and vaccine development at Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics.
She earned an MBA and MS in Chemical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), an MPH at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and a BS in Chemical Engineering from University of Wisconsin. She is a founding member of Chief, an organization focused on connecting and supporting women executive leaders.
George Vratsanos, M.D., is an experienced R&D leader with broad expertise in immunology and autoimmune disease. He currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer and President of Jnana Therapeutics Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on metabolic and immune diseases. He previously served as Senior Vice President of Translational Science and Medicine, Immunology at Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Executive Global Program Head of the Immunology and Dermatology Franchise at Novartis, as well as a Translational Medicine Leader at Roche and a Group Director at Bristol Meyers Squibb. His R&D leadership experience spans multiple autoimmune diseases areas and the successful development of approved therapies such as Orencia® and Cosentyx®.
Dr. Vratsanos graduated from New York University School of Medicine with honors and completed a postdoctoral fellowship in investigative rheumatology/immunobiology at Yale University. He also earned a master’s degree in clinical investigation from Vanderbilt University, as well as a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in biomedical engineering from Columbia University. He is a Fellow of the American College of Rheumatology.
OUR VISION | To be the leading company delivering innovative, accessible therapies for patients, their caregivers and families
OUR MISSION | We strive to discover, develop and deliver novel off-the-shelf NK cell therapy product candidates that have a profound impact on patients
