GRCL vs MRK

Gracell Biotechnologies Inc.

Gracell Biotechnologies Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, primarily discovers and develops cell therapies for the treatment of cancer in the People's Republic of China. Its lead product candidates include GC012F, a FasTCAR-enabled dual BCMA- and CD19-directed autologous CAR-T product candidate that is in Phase I trial for the treatment of multiple myeloma; GC019F, a FasTCAR-enabled CD19-directed autologous CAR-T product candidate, which is in Phase I clinical trial for the treatment of adult B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL), as well as in preclinical stage for the treatment of relapsed or refractory (r/r) B cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (B-NHL); and GC027, a TruUCAR-enabled CD7-directed allogeneic CAR-T product candidate, which is in Phase I clinical trial for the treatment of adult T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. The company's product candidates also comprise GC007g, a donor-derived CD19-directed allogeneic CAR-T cell therapy that is in Phase 1/2 registrational trial clinical trial for the treatment of r/r B-ALL; and GC502, a TruUCAR-enabled dual CD19- and CD7 -directed, off-the-shelf allogeneic CAR-T product candidate, which is in Phase I trial for the treatment of B-cell malignancies. In addition, it has a portfolio of earlier stage product candidates targeting various cancer indications, such as ovarian cancer, breast cancer, peripheral T cell lymphoma, a subtype of NHL, and T cell lymphoblastic leukemia. The company was founded in 2017 and is headquartered in Suzhou, China.

Merck & Company Inc.

Merck & Co., Inc. operates as a healthcare company worldwide. It operates through two segments, Pharmaceutical and Animal Health segments. The Pharmaceutical segment offers human health pharmaceutical products in the areas of oncology, hospital acute care, immunology, neuroscience, virology, cardiovascular, diabetes, and women's health, as well as vaccine products. The Animal Health segment provides discovers, develops, manufactures, and markets a range of veterinary pharmaceuticals, vaccines, and health management solutions and services, as well as a suite of digitally connected identification, traceability, and monitoring products. The company has collaborations with AstraZeneca PLC; Bayer AG; Eisai Co., Ltd.; and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics. It serves drug wholesalers and retailers, hospitals, and government agencies; managed health care providers, such as health maintenance organizations, pharmacy benefit managers, and other institutions; and physicians and physician distributors, veterinarians, and animal producers. The company has collaboration agreement with Gilead Sciences, Inc. to co-develop and co-commercialize long-acting investigational treatment combinations of Lenacapavir and Islatravir in HIV; Amathus Therapeutics to develop treatments for neurodegenerative diseases; and Linnaeus Therapeutics, Inc. to evaluate LNS8801 in combination with KEYTRUDA for patients with advanced cancer. It also has a collaboration with Biomed X Gmbh for building on ongoing research projects in the fields of oncology (DNA damage response and RNA splicing) and autoimmunity (intestinal epithelial barrier in autoimmune diseases); and a collaboration agreement with NGM Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. to focus primarily on the development of novel medicines for unmet patient needs in retinal and CVM diseases, including heart failure. Merck & Co., Inc. was founded in 1891 and is headquartered in Kenilworth, New Jersey.