Veraxa Biotech (VRXA) said Thursday it has engaged US contract research organization ATUM to begin cell line development for its lead BiTAC T-cell engager program.

The company said ATUM will support the generation of stable clonal cell lines using its Leap-In Transposase technology.

The company said the cell lines will be used throughout CMC development, including early process, analytical testing, formulation work, and production of material for nonclinical studies.

Veraxa said its BiTAC-TCE platform is designed to improve the safety of T-cell engager therapies by activating T-cells only when two tumor markers are present on the same cell, reducing the risk of attacking healthy tissue.

Shares of Veraxa Biotech were up more than 3% in premarket activity Thursday.