Lyell Immunopharma Acquires ImmPACT Bio for Over $30 Million to Advance Next-Generation Dual-Targeting CAR-T Therapy
Lyell Immunopharma
Cell Therapy New Drug Developer
ImmPACT Bio
T Cell Therapy Developer
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Recently, Lyell Immunopharma ("Lyell") announced that it has reached a definitive agreement to acquire ImmPACT Bio ("ImmPACT"). The press release noted that this acquisition not only significantly enhances Lyell's R&D capabilities in the next-generation CAR-T cell therapy field but also injects strong new momentum into the company’s future development.
The terms of this acquisition include at the completion of the transactionLyell Immunopharma, Inc. pays $30 million (approximately 210 million yuan) in cashAnd 37.5 million shares of Lyell common stock. In addition, shareholders of ImmPACT Bio have the opportunity to receive an additional 12.5 million shares of Lyell common stock upon achieving clinical value enhancement milestones, as well as a low single-digit royalty on future net sales in the United States of the dual-targeted CD19/20 CAR-T cell product. The transaction is expected to be completed in the fourth quarter of 2024.
The core project of ImmPACT, IMPT-314, is a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cell therapy targeting CD19/CD20.IMPT-314 is designed to target two pathways andBy enriching naive and central memory T cells, the persistence of CAR-T cells is significantly enhanced, thereby surpassing the efficacy of currently approved CD19 CAR-T cell therapies.In addition, IMPT-314 is a CAR-T designed by the company based on its advanced "OR-Gate" technology platform, which is expected to address the issue of antigen escape.Antigen escape is a key challenge for currently approved CD19-targeted therapies.
Lyell Immunopharma plans to continue advancing the development of IMPT-314, aiming to use it for treating various hematologic malignancies, including large B-cell lymphoma.
▲Schematic diagram of the CAR structure and tumor cell killing mode of CD19/CD20 CAR-T cells (Image source: Company's official website)
According to Lynn Seely, M.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Lyell, "Data from the ongoing Phase 1/2 clinical trial being conducted by ImmPACT, as well as the published Phase 1 clinical trial initiated by the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).The data show that IMPT-314 is effective in patients with aggressive B-cell lymphoma who have not received CAR-T cell therapy.Higher complete response rate and longer duration of response compared to existing therapies。”
IMPT-314 has also received Fast Track designation from the U.S. FDA for the treatment of relapsed/refractory (R/R) aggressive B-cell lymphoma.
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In addition to IMPT-314, Lyell Immunopharma is also actively developing other promising CAR-T cell therapies, such as LYL119. LYL119 is a second-generation ROR1-targeted CAR-T therapy.Produced using Lyell's proprietary stackable reprogramming technology, includingNR4A3Gene knockout, Stim-R™ and other innovative technologies.The combination of these technologies significantly enhanced the functional activity of ROR1 CAR-T cells, improving their persistence and anti-tumor activity.
In preclinical experiments,These reprogrammed CAR-T cells demonstrated higher cytokine levels, enhanced cellular persistence, and improved in vivo tumor control.In addition, Stim-R™, as Lyell’s new epigenetic reprogramming technology, can mediate precise signaling molecule presentation to generate various CAR-T cell products with enhanced multifunctionality, persistence, and anti-tumor activity.
Lyell Immunopharma stated in the acquisition news that it will prioritize its pipeline focused on next-generation CAR-T cell therapy. With the completion of the acquisition, Lyell Immunopharma will fully advance the development of key projects such as IMPT-314 and LYL119, with plans to initiate pivotal trials for IMPT-314 in 2025.
As early as 2022, ImmPACT Bio announced the completion of a $111 million Series B financing round. In addition, ImmPACT Bio released the latest results from the Phase 1 clinical trial of its bispecific CAR-T therapy targeting CD19 and CD20 for the treatment of relapsed/refractory B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma. The company stated that it is encouraged by these preliminary results from the Phase 1 clinical trial and looks forward to advancing its transformative next-generation CAR-T cell therapy pipeline, leveraging the immune system to address key challenges in current cancer cell therapies.
In September this year, Arsenal Biosciences (ArsenalBio) announced the completion of a $325 million Series C financing round. The funds raised will be used to advance the development of ArsenalBio's core projects. The company will continue to build a research and development pipeline for cancer treatment based on its proprietary T-cell engineering technology. The funds will also be used to drive innovation and develop tools for discovering novel cell therapies.
ArsenalBio Reprograms T Cells Using CRISPR-Based Gene Editing TechnologyWhile enhancing the anti-cancer activity of T cells, it reduces their potential toxicity. Among them,The company's logic-gated technology is particularly noteworthy.This technology introduces logic gate components into T cells, enabling the generated CAR-T cells to activate only when recognizing two different proteins expressed on the surface of tumor cells, further enhancing the specificity of T cell therapy.
Perhaps it is precisely due to ArsenalBio's pioneering work in T-cell reprogramming and logic-gated technology, along with the halo effect of the company's recent $325 million Series C financing, that prompted Lyell Immunopharma to acquire ImmPACT Bio.
With the continuous advancement of biotechnology, CAR-T cell therapy, as a frontier field in cancer treatment, is ushering in unprecedented development opportunities. Companies in the industry are exploring ways to enhance the specificity and efficacy of CAR-T cells through advanced technologies such as logic gating, driving cancer treatment towards a more precise and efficient direction. In the future, with the advent of more innovative therapies, we have reason to believe that cancer will no longer be an unconquerable enemy.
References:
1.https://www.globenewswire.com/en/news-release/2024/10/24/2969054/0/en/Lyell-Immunopharma-to-Acquire-ImmPACT-Bio-and-Prioritizes-its-Pipeline-to-Focus-on-Next-Generation-CAR-T-cell-Therapies.html
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