JW Therapeutics Secures Exclusive Rights to Two Cell Immunotherapies in Greater China

Reposted from | Medical Insights

On July 15, JW Therapeutics and Acepodia, a U.S. biotechnology company focused on the development of tumor immunotherapies, jointly announced the establishment of an exclusive priority licensing collaboration. Under this agreement, JW Therapeutics has obtained the exclusive priority rights for the clinical development and commercialization in mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau of two cell-based immunotherapy candidates from Acepodia: ACE1702 and ACE1655. According to the announcement, these two investigational products will be developed respectively for the treatment of solid tumors and hematologic malignancies. Pursuant to the terms of the agreement, Acepodia will receive an upfront signing fee, milestone payments, and sales royalties, with specific financial details undisclosed.

Acepodia is a U.S. biotechnology company. According to the press release, the company’s allogeneic cell therapy platform is built on its proprietary “off-the-shelf” natural killer (oNK) cells, which exhibit potent anti-tumor activity. Acepodia’s proprietary ACC™ (Antibody-Cell Conjugate) technology enhances the killing of tumor cells by conjugating antibodies to proteins on the cell membrane of its internally developed, therapeutically promising off-the-shelf oNK cells.

According to the official website of Acepodia, Inc., ACE1702 is a HER2-targeted cell therapy that utilizes oNK cells conjugated with HER2 antibodies to target solid tumors expressing HER2. This investigational drug has currently entered the clinical trial stage. In both in vivo and in vitro studies, ACE1702 has demonstrated enhanced tumor cell killing activity. Meanwhile, ACE1702 also maintained a favorable safety profile in GLP toxicology studies. No detailed information on another investigational drug, ACE1655, was found through public channels.

▲Acepodia, Inc.’s ACC™ (Antibody-Cell Conjugation) Technology Platform

(Image source: Acepodia, Inc.)

Regarding this collaboration, James Li, CEO of JW Therapeutics, stated, “We are pleased to partner with Acepodia, Inc. to advance the clinical development of NK cell therapies, ultimately bringing these innovative cell therapies to patients. Acepodia, Inc. has applied a broad range of approaches to provide additional potential clinical treatment options for solid tumors and hematologic malignancies, and to scale up the production of targeted cell therapies in a timely and on-demand manner.”

Dr. Sonny Hsiao, CEO of Acepodia, Inc., stated that this collaboration combines Yushibo’s research capabilities and innovative cell therapy technologies with JW Therapeutics’ cancer immunology research and development expertise, facilitating the joint development of oNK cell therapies in the oncology field. The company looks forward to maximizing the therapeutic potential of allogeneic “off-the-shelf” treatments through its partnership with JW Therapeutics.

JW Therapeutics, founded in 2016, is an innovative clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the research and development, translation, and application of cellular immunotherapies. Its leading product is relmacabtagene autoleucel (provisional name), a CD19-targeted CAR-T therapy. The marketing authorization application for this product in China was accepted by the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) on June 30 this year. To date, JW Therapeutics has completed total financing of over USD 200 million, including Series A and Series B rounds.

References:

[1] JW therapeutics to receive exclusive licenses todevelop and commercialize ACE1702 and ACE1655....... Retrieved July 14，2020, from https://finance.yahoo.com/news/acepodia-jw-therapeutics-enter-option-113000097.html

[2] Acepodia, Inc. Official Website. From https://www.acepodia.com/acc

[3] JW Therapeutics Submits First New Drug Application for CD19-Targeted CAR-T Therapy Product. Retrieved July 01, 2020, from https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s?__biz=MzUxMTY5MzM5OQ==&mid=2247497136&idx=2&sn=577506d94101b916c49939a43f871526

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