Takeda Expands Gene Therapy Collaboration with Evotec GT to Advance Therapies in Oncology, Rare Diseases, Neuroscience, and Gastroenterology

Compiled by Fan Dongdong

On April 6, Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited announced a long-term research collaboration with Evotec GT, the Austrian subsidiary of German CRO company Evotec SE, to support Takeda’s growing gene therapy research program.

Through this collaboration, Evotec GT will support multiple gene therapy programs under Takeda, with the two companies engaging in close cooperation across four core therapeutic areas: oncology, rare diseases, neuroscience, and gastroenterology. Evotec GT will leverage its expanding gene therapy capabilities and drug discovery platform to support and advance this research. Takeda and Evotec have not disclosed financial details related to this collaboration, nor have they indicated specific objectives to be pursued through this partnership.

In fact, this is not the first time the two companies have collaborated; this initiative merely expands upon the partnership established last year. In September 2019, the two parties entered into collaborations on at least five drug research projects, covering indications with broad therapeutic areas. At that time, Takeda announced an upfront payment to Evotec, with Evotec also eligible for milestone payments of up to $170 million per collaborative program, as well as royalties on future drug sales. Although neither company disclosed the amount of the upfront payment at the time, external estimates suggested the total value of the deal could reach $850 million.

Evotec Chief Operating Officer Craig Johnstone stated, “The latest collaboration expands Evotec’s partnership with Takeda into the field of gene therapy. This alliance further demonstrates that our multimodal platform combines innovative technology with best-in-class execution capabilities to meet partners’ most pressing needs.” Johnstone added that the relationship with Takeda represents a novel approach poised to transform the industry by discovering and developing new therapies for debilitating diseases.

“We are pleased to expand and extend our discovery efforts in collaboration with the Evotec team,” said Steven Hitchcock, Head of Global Research at Takeda. “Gene therapy is an increasingly important therapeutic modality within our portfolio, and our alliance with Evotec will help us further accelerate the delivery of transformative therapies to patients, particularly those with rare diseases.”

Just days before finalizing its collaboration with Takeda, Evotec entered into a licensing and development agreement with the Canadian company panCELLa Inc. According to the terms of the agreement, Evotec gained access to panCELLa’s proprietary iACT Stealth Cells technology. These cell lines have been genetically engineered to prevent immune rejection of derived cell therapy products. Evotec will also acquire the next-generation cell cloaking technology known as “hypoimmunogenic cells.” Evotec plans to use this cell line to develop off-the-shelf iPSC-based cell therapies that offer durable efficacy and can be safely administered to patients without the need for immunosuppressive drugs.

Reference Sources:

1. Takeda and Evotec Enter into Gene Therapy Research Alliance

2. Evotec and Takeda Enter into Multi-Year Gene Therapy Research Alliance