Disclaimer: Due to limited proficiency, errors are inevitable, and some information may not be the most up-to-date. Feel free to point out in the comments. This article is only an introduction to drugs related to medical health, not a recommendation of treatment plans (if involved); this article does not constitute any investment advice.

Cell and Gene Therapy (CGT) is a new generation of precision therapy following small-molecule and large-molecule targeted therapies. In recent years, there has been an increasing number of collaboration deals in the CGT field. As Big Pharma (international pharmaceutical giants) have entered the market, the CGT industry is being driven to develop rapidly.

According to incomplete statistics, in January 2024,Major CGT Collaborative DealsThere are 10 cases in total, summarized as follows:

1. Novartis and Voyager

On January 2, Voyager Therapeutics announced that it had signed a capsid licensing agreement with Novartis subsidiary Novartis Pharmaceuticals and launched a strategic cooperation.To advance novel gene therapies for Huntington's disease (HD) and spinal muscular atrophy (SMA).

According to the agreement, Novartis will pay Voyager $100 million in consideration, including $20 million for the purchase of newly issued shares of Voyager. Voyager is eligible to receive up to $1.2 billion in preclinical, development, regulatory, and sales milestones, as well as tiered royalties on global net sales of products containing Voyager's TRACER capsid.Totaling $1.3 billion。

Novartis will obtain the exclusive rights to the TRACER capsid target related to SMA from Voyager and will be responsible for all development and commercialization.Novartis will also leverage Voyager's TRACER capsid and proprietary payload to obtain global rights to Voyager's AAV gene therapy for treating HD. Voyager will be responsible for preclinical progress, while Novartis will handle all clinical development and commercialization of the HD program.

2. JW Therapeutics and 2seventy bio

On January 2, JW Therapeutics announced an exclusive collaboration agreement with 2seventy bio to co-develop and commercialize in the Greater China region.Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T-cell Therapy Products for the Treatment of Autoimmune Diseases。The strategic alliance expands upon the partnership established in 2022 for the MAGE-A4 program, building on the company’s capabilities in cell therapy development. It initially aims to accelerate the development and validation of T-cell-based immunotherapy products in Greater China. Additionally, the contracting parties plan to include other candidate products in the future.

3. IASO Bio and Umoja Biopharma

On January 4, 2024, IASO Bio and Umoja Biopharma jointly announced a series of new collaborations on the research, development, and commercialization of novel ex vivo and in vivo cell and gene therapies. Previously, IASO Bio and Umoja reached an agreement in November 2022 to combine IASO Bio’s chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) with Umoja’s iCIL platform for the development of next-generation off-the-shelf cell therapies. The signing of this new agreement deepens the strategic cooperation between the two parties and further advances innovative off-the-shelf cell and gene therapy solutions.

According to the agreement, IASO Bio will obtain the exclusive rights to Umoja's Rapamycin-Activated Cytokine Receptor (RACR™) platform—synthetic cytokine receptor technology—for the development of two in vitro iPSC-derived Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) cell therapies. IASO Bio will be responsible for the global research, development, manufacturing, registration, and commercialization of these two in vitro cell therapy products. Meanwhile, Umoja will exclusively use two clinically validated CAR sequences targeting different antigens from IASO Bio, combined with Umoja’s proprietary in vivo gene delivery technology via lentiviral vectors—VivoVec™—to advance the development of two in vivo CAR-T product candidates. IASO Bio and Umoja will respectively oversee the product development, manufacturing, registration, and commercialization in Greater China and other regions outside of Greater China. Additionally, both parties are entitled to receive corresponding development and sales milestone payments as well as royalties within the collaboration. This partnership will drive the advancement of innovative off-the-shelf cell and gene therapies, applying them in the fields of oncology and autoimmune diseases.

4. Ringpu Bio and Shenji Bio

January 8, 2024Ruide Bio andShenji Biotech Co-Signs the "Co-Development Agreement for Feline HCPC Quadrivalent mRNA Vaccine" to Jointly Research and Develop a Quadrivalent mRNA Vaccine (Feline HCPC Quadrivalent mRNA Vaccine) Targeting Feline Rhinotracheitis, Calicivirus Disease, Panleukopenia, and Chlamydia!

RepBio and Shenji Bio Establish Strategic Partnership to Fully Collaborate in mRNA Vaccine Fields for Livestock and Pets, Promoting the Development of the Pet Health Industry through Professional and Industrial Synergy for Mutual Benefit.

5. NewKare and Huadao Bio

On January 12, Nantong Biotech announced that its subsidiary, Shanghai Nantong Precision Medicine Co., Ltd. ("Shanghai Nantong"), and Huadao (Shanghai) Biopharmaceutical Co., Ltd. ("Huadao Biopharmaceutical") recently signed a "Strategic Cooperation Agreement."

According to the agreement, Huadao Bio will guide Shanghai Xin Kaiyuan to build a CAR-T cell drug R&D incubator in accordance with the GMP production requirements for cell drugs, providing cell drug transformation services for CAR-T cell drug (excluding Huadao Bio's self-developed drug varieties) R&D companies (excluding companies that directly compete with Huadao Bio) or scientists. Meanwhile, Huadao Bio agrees to grant Shanghai Xin Kaiyuan the exclusive sales rights for the HD CD19 CAR-T drug in the four provinces of Shanxi, Henan, Hubei, and Hunan under equal conditions of exclusive sales authorization fees. For Huadao Bio’s anti-aging CAR-T products, Shanghai Xin Kaiyuan has the priority for market sales rights under equal authorization fee conditions.

6.Genevant SciencesWith Tome Biosciences

On January 16, 2024, leading nucleic acid delivery company GenevantSciencesAnnounced that it has partnered with Tome BiosciencesSigning of Cooperation and Non-Exclusive Licensing Agreement, combining its proprietary LNP technology with Tome's Programmable Genome Integration (PGI) technology to develop an in vivo gene editing therapy for the treatment of an undisclosed rare monogenic liver disease,The transaction willGenevant SciencesGenerating over $114 million in revenue。

As for the specific terms of the deal, Genevant only statedThe total value of the agreement can reach $114.3 million (820 million yuan).，while also collecting tiered royalties on sales of the developed drug. Genevant did not specify the exact liver disease, only revealing that it is monogenic, meaning related to a single gene.

7. Kaituo Biotech and MxT Biotech

8. GenEdit and Genentech

January 23,GenEdit Announces Comprehensive Multi-Year Collaboration and Licensing Agreement with Genentech, a Roche Subsidiary, to Develop Novel Nanoparticles Using GenEdit’s NanoGalaxy Platform for Nucleic Acid Medicines Targeting Autoimmune Diseases。

9. BioBo Technologies and ExCell Bio

On January 29, 2024, Suzhou Porton Biologics Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as Porton Biologics) announced a strategic partnership with Suzhou ExCell Bio Tech Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as ExCell Bio). The two parties have established a close collaboration on the development and supply of serum-free culture media products, jointly accelerating the research, development, and commercialization of gene and cell therapy drugs.

This long-term strategic partnership between ExCell Bio and Porton Biologics represents a powerful collaboration between a cell culture media supplier and a cell and gene therapy CDMO. The win-win cooperation will help address the upstream raw material challenges in cell and gene therapy, enabling innovative drugs that are safe, effective, and affordable to reach the public sooner.

10. Huasai Berman and 3D Medicines

Through this strategic cooperation, both parties will leverage their respective strengths to jointly research innovative treatment methods in the field of tumor immunotherapy, explore new cooperative models, and hope to provide better treatment options for cancer patients.

References:

Official Websites of Various Companies