[E-Daily Reporter YU JIN-HEE ] MetaImmuneTech, a company specializing in digital immune cell analysis platforms, has partnered with Vaxcell-Bio Therapeutics(323990), a developer of anti-cancer immunotherapies, to begin actively pioneering the pet immunity monitoring market. The company plans to bridge its next-generation proprietary cell analysis technology—which had remained in the research and development (R&D) stage—to real-world medical settings and commercialization models in the pharmaceutical and biotech sectors.

MetaImmunTech announced on the 2nd that it has begun full-scale commercialization of “Cellytics Pet Immunity (CPI),” its proprietary pet immune function analysis system, and has signed a supply agreement with Vaxcell-Bio Therapeutics to begin product deliveries.

CPI is a state-of-the-art system that quantitatively analyzes the composition and activity of key immune cells responsible for innate and adaptive immunity in the peripheral blood of dogs. While basic blood tests at existing veterinary clinics are limited to measuring blood cell counts and biochemical values, CPI directly evaluates whether immune cells are actually functionally active, thereby providing a comprehensive understanding of each individual’s immune status.

Its core competitive advantage lies in MetaImmunTech LTD.’s proprietary technology, “Lens-free Shadow Imaging Technology” (LSIT). LSIT utilizes a digital in-line holography method to acquire cell images—replacing bulky and difficult-to-handle optical lenses—and then precisely quantifies morphological changes in the cells. This technology has created an environment where immune cells can be analyzed quickly and easily in frontline medical settings without the need for expensive flow cytometers—which can cost hundreds of millions of won—or specialized personnel.

MetaImmunetech LTD. has selected CPI as the first commercialized pet healthcare model for its flagship platform, “Cellytics.” The company plans to position it as an “immune monitoring platform” that tracks immune changes throughout the entire disease treatment cycle, going beyond one-time testing.

Vaxcell-Bio Therapeutics, the company with which MetaImmunetech has partnered, is a biotech firm that developed “Boxrukin-15,” South Korea’s first interleukin-15-based prescription drug specifically for dogs with cancer. It has obtained official product approval from the Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency as an adjuvant immunotherapy for mammary tumors and lymphoma in dogs and is currently distributed in the domestic market through Yuhan(000100). The company is also expanding its global footprint by entering into a Master Partnership Agreement (MPA) with Taiwan’s Leverage Genetics.

The two companies recognized that even for the same type of cancer, an individual dog’s immune status and treatment response can vary greatly. Their strategy is to establish optimized, personalized treatment protocols by precisely tracking changes in the composition and activity of immune cells—measured as the CPI—before and after administration of Boxrukin-15.

The company is also accelerating the expansion of its clinical and distribution networks. MetaImmunTech has partnered with Konkuk University Animal Hospital to establish reference ranges (standard indicators) for immune cell activity based on samples from healthy dogs and has launched a formal testing service. Additionally, in collaboration with major specialized veterinary institutions such as VIP Animal Medical Center and Leaders Animal Medical Center, the company is conducting joint research to elucidate the correlation between immune cell activity and clinical outcomes in dogs with cancer.

This commercialization is also cited as a model case of government-funded basic and fundamental R&D technology successfully taking root in the market. Through the International Science Business Belt Technology Commercialization Project under the Ministry of Science and ICT, the company acquired a technology transfer for the lens-free cell analysis core technology developed by Korea University’s Sejong Campus. Following this, the company progressed through prototype production, protocol standardization, and field validation to reach the full-scale product supply stage.

MetaImmunTech plans to expand its supply chain to key veterinary hospitals nationwide while broadening the scope of application to include various companion animals beyond dogs. Leveraging the vast clinical data accumulated in the domestic healthcare sector, the company is also actively pursuing entry into the global companion animal precision medicine and immune monitoring markets.

Han Seon-mi, co-CEO of MetaImmunTech LTD., stated, “The supply agreement with Vaxcell-Bio Therapeutics is an important milestone demonstrating that Celitix’s immune cell analysis technology has moved beyond the research and development stage and has taken root in the actual animal healthcare and immunotherapy industries.” She added, “Through CPI, we will objectively verify changes in immune status before and after treatment with data and establish a new standard to lead the global pet precision medicine market.”