Kiromic BioPharma, Inc. announced the completion of the chPD1 licensing agreement with Longwood University. PD-1 has always been a challenge for CAR-T development. PD-1 is the brakes of the immune system, inhibiting immune cells from killing tumor cells. Traditional PD-1 inhibitors block the PD-1 receptor, “removing the brakes” of T-cell activity. Kiromic’s chPD1 not only “removes the brakes” but also engages the PD-1 receptor to “accelerate” T-cell activity. Upon interaction with the PD-1 ligand, the chPD1 receptor activates CD3 zeta (the main activating intracellular domain for T cells), and Dap10 (costimulatory domain). The activation of these two intracellular domains induces T cell activation, cytokine secretion, and tumor cell lysis.