News · 2026-04-30 · Casper, Wyoming
Nightbox LLC releases open in silico design notes and methodology for NKG2D-LIF6 chimera gene therapy candidate
Methods, references, and source repository released under CC BY 4.0. WebXR molecular viewer published. Wet-lab validation scheduled Q3-Q4 2026; pre-IND meeting target H2 2026.
CASPER, Wyo., April 30, 2026 — Nightbox LLC today released the complete computational design package for NKG2D-LIF6, its lead chimeric receptor-effector AAV9 gene therapy candidate, under a CC BY 4.0 open-science license. The release includes architectural design notes, named-tool methodology, primary literature references, and an interactive 3D molecular viewer of the NKG2D-MICA recognition complex.
NKG2D-LIF6 is a 2,123 base-pair gene therapy construct combining the human NKG2D extracellular domain — the natural-killer cell activating receptor that binds tumor-associated stress ligands MICA and MICB — with the elephant LIF6 mitochondrial pro-apoptotic effector. LIF6 is the re-functionalized leukemia-inhibitory-factor pseudogene implicated in the elephant cancer-resistance phenotype behind Peto's paradox (Vazquez et al. 2018, Cell Reports). Delivered as a single AAV9-encoded payload, the construct is designed to be tumor-restricted at the recognition layer and apoptosis-inducing at the effector layer, eliminating the need for autologous cell processing characteristic of CAR-T therapies.
"The point of releasing the methodology now, before wet-lab data lands, is independent critique," said Artem Shakin, founder and CEO of Nightbox LLC. "If the in silico architecture is wrong somewhere, we want to know before we commit any pre-IND money to validating it."
The released materials include:
- chimera-design-notes — public source repository at github.com/nightbox-llc/chimera-design-notes covering construct architecture, named computational tools (AlphaFold3, RoseTTAFold all-atom, PyMOL, Rosetta refinement), and primary literature references
- WebXR molecular viewer at nightboxllc.com/3d rendering the NKG2D-MICA crystal structure (PDB 1HYR) interactively in browser, with VR/AR support on Meta Quest, Vision Pro, and AR-capable mobile
- Updated preprint at nightboxllc.com/preprint with full computational methods, predicted ~99% TGI ceiling on syngeneic colorectal models, and explicit stage disclosure (in silico only, no in vivo data, no peer-reviewed publication)
- Federal capability statement at nightboxllc.com/capability-statement for SBIR/STTR/ARPA-H/BARDA contracting officers, with a named solicitation roadmap at /federal/sbir-roadmap
Wet-lab validation across three syngeneic murine tumor models (colorectal, melanoma, pancreatic) is scheduled for Q3-Q4 2026, with a pre-IND meeting at the FDA Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research targeted for H2 2026 and IND-enabling Phase 1 first-in-human dose escalation in 2027.
The company is Wyoming-incorporated, operates from the Greater Los Angeles area, and is currently bootstrapped with no outside capital. A pre-seed round of $3M-$5M will open in Q3 2026; the Scientific Advisory Board is forming with four open seats published at nightboxllc.com/advisors.
About Nightbox LLC
Nightbox LLC is a computational biology and gene therapy company founded in February 2026 by Artem Shakin (Wikidata Q139590669, ORCID 0009-0006-0003-6806). The company is incorporated in Wyoming (EIN 39-4373044, Wyoming SOS entity 2025-001768533), operates from the Greater Los Angeles area, and runs an AI-augmented R&D loop on a production Anthropic SDK + AlphaFold3 + custom prompt-router stack. Nightbox is committed to open-science publication of in silico methodology under CC BY 4.0.
Forward-looking statements
All preclinical claims in this release are computational predictions. No in vivo data, no human clinical data, and no peer-reviewed publication of the NKG2D-LIF6 chimera exist as of this release. Forward-looking statements about future products, regulatory pathways, clinical timelines, or commercial outcomes are subject to material risk.
Contact
Press: press@nightboxllc.com
Investors: investors@nightboxllc.com
Federal: federal@nightboxllc.com
Founder: artem@nightboxllc.com
Twitter / X: @ArtemShkin
© 2026 Nightbox LLC. This press release is distributed under CC BY 4.0. Cite as: Nightbox LLC (2026-04-30). "Nightbox LLC publishes complete open in silico design package for NKG2D-LIF6 chimera gene therapy." https://nightboxllc.com/news/2026-04-30-launch