Celgene Announces New Oncology Collaborations Shortly After BMS Acquisition

On January 3, 2019, a major shockwave rocked the pharmaceutical industry as U.S. pharma giant Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS) announced its $74 billion acquisition of Celgene, marking the largest merger and acquisition deal in the history of the pharmaceutical sector. Twenty days later, Celgene made another significant move.

VCBeat (WeChat Official Account: vcbeat) has learned from foreign media that Celgene has recently entered into collaboration agreements with cancer therapy companies Kyn Therapeutics and Obsidian Therapeutics, both of which focus on cancer treatment technologies.

Kyn Therapeutics, founded in 2016, is a cancer treatment startup based in Boston, USA, specializing in the development of metabolic immunotherapies for cancer. This therapeutic approach indirectly inhibits tumor growth and development by modulating the metabolic processes of immune cells, ultimately aiming to eradicate tumors.

Under the agreement with Kyn Therapeutics, Celgene licensed Kyn Therapeutics to develop two anticancer products: Kynase (kynurenine-degrading enzyme) and an aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) antagonist. Kyn Therapeutics is responsible for conducting the Phase 1b development, while Celgene provides an $80 million upfront payment and an equity investment. At that stage, Celgene has the option to lead the commercialization and global development of the products.

Kynurenine and the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) can regulate metabolic processes in various immune cells and are closely linked to tumor-induced immunosuppression. In its statement, Kyn Therapeutics indicated that the unique properties of kynurenine and the aryl hydrocarbon receptor may offer new hope for curing cancer in patients who are not responsive to existing therapies.

Mark Manfredi, CEO of Kyn Therapeutics, stated that his research team has been dedicated to the development of metabolic immunotherapies. Celgene’s existing oncology resources can help Kyn Therapeutics integrate into certain clinical programs and develop anticancer products that better meet market demands.

Robert Hershberg, Head of Global Alliances at Celgene, stated that the collaboration with Kyn Therapeutics could lead to the development of novel anticancer therapies to address current unmet medical needs.

Obsidian Therapeutics, founded in 2015 and also headquartered in Boston, USA, specializes in adoptive immunotherapy for cancer. The company is currently developing Destabilizing Domain (DD) technology, which enables precise pharmacological control of patients’ engineered cells to achieve therapeutic effects against cancer.

This collaboration with Celgene is built precisely on this technology. Obsidian Therapeutics’ DD technology can control the expression of two immunomodulatory factors, IL-12 and CD40L. These factors enhance the efficacy of adoptive immunotherapy but require precise regulation by researchers to maximize the therapeutic benefit of cell therapies. The agreement stipulates that Celgene and Obsidian Therapeutics will jointly leverage this technology to develop cellular immunotherapies; however, financial details related to the partnership, such as upfront payments and equity investments, were not disclosed.

Notably, this marks Obsidian Therapeutics’ first collaboration based on its DD technology; previously, the company had not engaged in any such partnerships.

Hershberg stated that Obsidian Therapeutics’ DD technology can be applied in many cancer settings, particularly within the tumor microenvironment of solid tumors. Furthermore, DD technology also broadens the application scenarios for cancer therapies such as CAR-T.

“Collaborating with Celgene has accelerated the maturation of DD technology, enabling its faster translation into clinical applications,” said Michael Gilman, CEO of Obsidian Therapeutics. “Obsidian’s goal is to benefit as many cancer patients as possible with our cell therapies. Through this collaboration, Obsidian Therapeutics will gain valuable clinical experience in oncology drug development from Celgene, which will also facilitate the more rapid development of mature cell therapies by Obsidian.”

It remains unclear what role Bristol Myers Squibb will play in these two collaborations.