AbbVie Announces Strategic Collaboration with Dragonfly Therapeutics to Develop Natural Killer Cell Therapies for Oncology and Autoimmune Diseases

Today, AbbVie and Dragonfly Therapeutics announced a research collaboration to develop natural killer (NK) cell therapies for the treatment of cancer and various autoimmune diseases, leveraging Dragonfly’s proprietary TriNKET technology platform.

The engagers generated by Dragonfly’s TriNKET (Tri-specific Natural Killer cell Engager Therapies) technology platform feature two ends that can respectively bind to proteins expressed on the surfaces of NK cells and tumor cells, thereby activating NK cells.

The TriNKET platform, based on NK cell activation, can enhance immunotherapy through several steps:1. NK cells directly attack and kill tumor cells; 2. NK cells can activate T cells and B cells; 3. NK cells help B cells produce anti-tumor antibodies; 4. The above steps activate more T cells to kill tumor cells. NK cells not only amplify the efficacy of T cells but also recruit other types of immune cells to attack cancer cells. Due to the unique ability of NK cells to distinguish stressed cancer cells from healthy cells, NK cell-based TriNKET therapy, compared with traditional T cell-based immunotherapies, can significantly expand the scope and efficacy of immunotherapy while offering a better potential safety profile.

▲Schematic diagram illustrating how the TriNKET platform enhances the efficacy of immunotherapy (Image source: Dragonfly official website)

Under the terms of the agreement, AbbVie will obtain an exclusive license to NK cell engager therapy technology, as well as rights to develop and commercialize candidate therapies. Dragonfly will receive an upfront payment, along with potential milestone payments for drugs developed through this collaboration and future sales royalties.

“AbbVie is committed to providing patients with better treatment options through pioneering technologies and platforms,” said Tom Hudson, M.D., Senior Vice President of Research and Development and Chief Scientific Officer at AbbVie. “Dragonfly has demonstrated the potential of its innovative platform in treating a variety of diseases.”

“AbbVie Inc. is a global leader in the treatment of cancer and chronic immune diseases,” said Mr. Bill Haney, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Dragonfly. “We look forward to collaborating with AbbVie Inc. to strive to provide new treatment options for patients.”

References:

[1] Dragonfly Therapeutics Announces Collaboration with AbbVie for Autoimmune Diseases and Oncology, Retrieved November 20, 2019, from https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/dragonfly-therapeutics-announces-collaboration-with-abbvie-for-autoimmune-diseases-and-oncology-300961954.html

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