▎WuXiEdited by Kant Content Team

AbbVie and Umoja Biopharma Announce Two Exclusive Option and License Agreements Worth Potentially Over $1.4 BillionThe two companies will leverage Umoja's proprietary VivoVec platform to develop multiple in-situ generated CAR-T cell therapy candidates in the field of oncology.

Umoja's VivoVec gene delivery platform combines third-generation lentiviral vector gene delivery technology with a novel T-cell targeting and activation surface complex.This enables the production of anti-cancer CAR-T cells within the patient’s body and potentially eliminates some challenges associated with traditional CAR-T methods, including reliance on collecting the patient's own or donor cells, related lag time in cell production, and ex vivo cell handling.Before being delivered back to the patient, it needs to go through an external process.The production challenges of modification, as well as the need for patients to undergo lymphocyte depletion before treatment.Umoja Biopharma announced in September last year that the VivoVec platform effectively and durably generated CAR-T cells in a non-human primate (NHP) study, demonstrating good tolerability.Proof of Concept。

▲Pipeline Diagram of Umoja (Source:Umoja Biopharma Official Website）

According to the press release, the first agreement reached by the two companiesAbbVie Obtains Exclusive Option for Umoja's CD19-Targeted In-Situ Generated CAR-T Cell Therapy Candidate, Including UB-VV111, which is currently in the IND authorization stage for Umoja Biopharma, Inc.Main clinical programs, for treatmentHematologic malignancies. According to the terms of the second agreement, AbbVie and Umoja will target the antigen selected by AbbVie,Co-develop up to four additional in situ generated CAR-T cell therapy candidates.

According to the terms of the two agreements,Umoja Biopharma, Inc. will receive an upfront payment from AbbVie Inc.,And qualifies Umoja to receive up to a total of $1.44 billion in option exercise, development, and regulatory milestone payments.

Everyone is watching

▲To learn more about the application of cutting-edge technologies in the biopharmaceutical industry, please long-press and scan the QR code above to access "WuXi Live Studio" and watch live discussions and exciting replays on related topics.

References:

[1] AbbVie and Umoja Biopharma Announce Strategic Collaboration to Develop Novel In-Situ CAR-T Cell Therapies. Retrieved January 5, 2024 from https://news.abbvie.com/2024-01-04-AbbVie-and-Umoja-Biopharma-Announce-Strategic-Collaboration-to-Develop-Novel-In-Situ-CAR-T-Cell-Therapies

Disclaimer: The content team of WuXi AppTec focuses on introducing the research progress in global biopharmaceuticals and health. This article is for information exchange purposes only, and the views expressed in the article do not represent the position of WuXi AppTec, nor does it indicate that WuXi AppTec supports or opposes these views. This article is not a recommendation for treatment plans. For guidance on treatment options, please visit a正规 hospital.

Copyright Statement: This article is from the content team of WuXi AppTec. Individuals are welcome to share it on their social media circles, but unauthorized reproduction by media or institutions in any form to other platforms is prohibited. For authorization to reproduce, please reply with "reprint" on the WeChat Official Account of "WuXi AppTec" to obtain reprint guidelines.