Astellas and Pandion Therapeutics Partner to Develop Bispecific Antibody Therapy for Type 1 Diabetes

Recently, Pandion Therapeutics and Astellas Pharma announced a research and development agreement. This collaboration combines Pandion’s expertise in biology and immunology with Astellas’ development and commercialization capabilities to jointly develop novel tissue-specific immunomodulators for the treatment of type 1 diabetes and other autoimmune diseases of the pancreas.

Pandion Therapeutics, Inc. was named to FierceBiotech’s 2018 Fierce 15 list. The company’s proprietary modular platform combines immunomodulators with linkers that target specific tissues, forming modular proteins, antibodies, and bispecific antibodies that exert therapeutic effects at precise locations. This approach enables precise control of immunomodulatory activity either systemically or within local tissues, maximizing therapeutic efficacy while avoiding the side effects associated with immunomodulatory drugs, thereby restoring immune homeostasis.

Under the collaboration agreement, Pandion will leverage its proprietary platform to develop bispecific antibody candidates, while Astellas will be responsible for candidate development and all commercialization activities. Pandion will receive a $45 million upfront payment and research funding. If Astellas develops and commercializes multiple candidates in the future, Pandion will be eligible for potential milestone payments exceeding $750 million, as well as tiered royalties on future sales of drugs developed through this collaboration.

▲Pandion Therapeutics’ R&D pipeline (Image source: Pandion Therapeutics official website)

“We are pleased to partner with Astellas, whose expertise in the treatment of type 1 diabetes and in immunology will advance our shared progress,” said Rahul Kakkar, M.D., Chief Executive Officer of Pandion. “Our tissue-targeted immunomodulators are designed to effectively treat damage caused by autoimmune dysregulation.”

“We are committed to developing new therapies for autoimmune diseases using novel approaches and technologies,” said Mr. Naoki Okamura, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Astellas. “Pandion’s tissue-selective immunomodulation technology holds promise for the development of next-generation immunomodulators, with potential applications in the treatment of other autoimmune diseases. We will continue to provide innovative treatments for conditions with unmet medical needs.”

References:

[1] Pandion and Astellas Announce Collaboration to Deliver Pancreas-Targeted Immunomodulators, Retrieved November 1, 2019, from https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20191030006210/en/Pandion-Astellas-Announce-Collaboration-Deliver-Pancreas-Targeted-Immunomodulators

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