The first cancer cell therapy is personalized treatment by isolating and modifying the patient’s own T cells in the laboratory-a complicated, tedious and expensive process. Many companies are looking for off-the-shelf biopharmaceuticals that are easier to produce and faster to manage. Bristol Myers Squibb (Bristol Myers Squibb) is adding a prospect to its pipeline, namely a rights transaction for the Immatics drug that is about to be tested for the first time in humans.
BMS announced on Tuesday protocol Prepaid US$150 million for the global rights of IMA401, the leading project of Immatics, headquartered in Tübingen, Germany. The drug works by binding to two sites, one on cancer cells and the other on T cells. A class of therapies called bispecific antibodies have already done this. This method was approved by the FDA in 2014 for Amgen’s blinatumomab, which is marketed under the name Blincyto. However, there is still room for improvement in the toxicity of the drug. The goal of Immatics and other companies is to develop treatments that meet the requirements.
Immatics describes its molecules as antibody-like biological agents. They consist of two parts: a part of the T cell receptor that recognizes cancer cells and a second domain that recruits and activates T cells. These two components are designed to bring their respective targets closer so that T cells can recognize and destroy cancer cells. Immatics refers to its molecule as T cell participation receptor or TCER.
Since Immatics therapy is not made of T cells from patients or donors, but made up of ready-made ingredients, Immatics believes that its molecules have advantages. According to the company, their manufacturing and distribution costs should be lower, which will make them available to a wider range of cancer patients. In addition, Immatics TCER can play a role in solid tumors. So far, these solid tumors have not been used in the first wave of personalized cancer cell therapy CAR T. IMA401 is designed with a binding region that targets MAGEA4/8, which is an antigen found in many types of solid tumors.
Preclinical research Report Last year, Immatics said its experimental therapy proved that it can recruit T cells to target cancer cells. In announcing the new alliance, Teri Foy, senior vice president of BMS research and early development, immuno-oncology and cell therapy, stated that TCER is “an important and emerging solid tumor model with the potential to provide a potentially wider range of patients with similar cell therapy.” Validity in the ready-made platform accessed.”
The alliance of IMA401 is based on the partnership that BMS inherited from its Celgene acquisition. Two years ago, Celgene and Immatics began to collaborate on the development of T cell receptor therapy or TCRBMS and Immatics said on Tuesday that the new alliance complements ongoing cell therapy research, and the terms of the earlier agreement exclude the MAGEA4/8 goal that IMA401 aims to address.
More and more biotech companies are looking for new and better ways to recruit T cell responses to cancer, some of which work with large pharmaceutical companies. Xencor’s progress in its bispecific antibody drug plamotumab led to a deal with Johnson & Johnson in October, The company promised to provide US$125 million to biotech companies to obtain global rights to the drug. Janux Therapeutics in collaboration with Merck Raised more than $193 million from it June IPO Fund the development of T cell cements, which are drugs designed to bind to cancer cells and T cells.Takeda Pharmaceutical passed Acquired its research partner Maverick Therapeutics for US$525 million. Biotech startups are also looking for new ways to promote T cell responses. Marengo Therapeutics received $80 million in funding last month for the development of antibodies Selectively activate T cells to fight cancer.
With the emergence of the new BMS and Immatics alliance, IMA401 is preparing for human testing. A clinical trial application was submitted in Germany last month. The study is expected to begin in the first half of 2022 and is designed to test therapies for various types of solid tumors. Immatics and BMS will collaborate to develop the therapy. Immatics can receive up to $770 million in additional milestone payments.If cell therapy enters the market, biotech companies can also choose to jointly promote the therapy in the United States
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