Celgene and Immatics Announce Strategic Collaboration to Develop Adoptive Cell Therapies for Solid Tumors

On September 4, 2019, VCBeat (WeChat ID: vcbeat) learned from foreign media reports that Celgene announced a commercial collaboration with the biopharmaceutical company Immatics Biotechnologies (Immatics) to develop adoptive cell therapy (ACT) for solid tumors.

Adoptive Cell Therapy (ACT) is a therapeutic approach that involves isolating immunologically active cells from cancer patients, functionally characterizing and expanding them in vitro, and then reinfusing them into the patient. This therapy can directly or indirectly stimulate the host immune response to achieve the goal of killing tumor cells.

It is reported that, in addition to the collaborative development of ACT, Celgene made an upfront payment of $75 million to Immatics and may license this innovative therapy.

Immatics, founded in 2000 and headquartered in Tübingen, Germany, is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company. Originally affiliated with the University of Tübingen, the company focuses on developing cell therapies and innovative biologics for various cancers.

Currently, biologic therapies have made significant advances in areas such as gene therapy and cellular immunotherapy. Monoclonal antibodies and small-molecule targeted drugs developed based on these technologies can significantly improve patient outcomes.

Immatics’ cell-based immunotherapies offer new treatment options for cancer patients. In 2015, the company established a joint venture, Immatics US, with The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas, to develop adoptive cell therapy (ACT) aimed at improving clinical outcomes for patients.

Immatics boasts an experienced product R&D team comprising more than 180 experts in the field of drug development. The company’s board members are leaders in the global biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries, driving Immatics’ business innovation and transformation.

This collaboration marks a significant step forward in Immatics’ cell therapy program. Previously, Immatics has also engaged in commercial collaborations with international biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies such as Roche.

Celgene, founded in 1986 and headquartered in New Jersey, USA, is a leading enterprise in the biopharmaceutical industry. With over 7,000 employees, the company primarily develops drugs for diseases such as acute myeloid leukemia, psoriasis, and psoriatic arthritis to improve patient treatment outcomes. Celgene’s mission is to discover, develop, and commercialize innovative medicines to meet patients’ medical needs.

Celgene primarily focuses on research into hard-to-treat solid tumors, such as myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). The company was listed on the NASDAQ Stock Exchange in the United States in August 1987, with the stock ticker symbol CELG.

Immatics CEO Harpreet Singh stated, “We are delighted to enter into this strategic collaboration with Celgene. Immatics boasts world-leading drug discovery technologies, while Celgene is a pioneer in the field of cell therapy. We believe that the products developed through our partnership will provide new treatment options for cancer patients.”

(Compiled by: Xu Xiaoxue)