Intrexon, Merck ink deal to develop and commercialize CAR-T cancer therapy

The deal advances Merck Serono’s science-driven strategy to develop new therapies that modulate the immune system’s natural ability to fight tumors.

As part of the deal, Intrexon will receive an upfront payment of $115m and will also receive up to $826m development, regulatory and commercial milestones, as well as tiered royalties on product sales.

Intrexon will also be eligible to receive further payments upon achievement of certain technology development milestones.

Merck Serono president and CEO Belen Garijo said: "The collaboration with Intrexon underlies Merck Serono’s focus on innovation, and enhances its R&D technology portfolio in immuno-oncology.

"Moreover, it showcases Merck Serono’s commitment to developing therapies that have the potential to significantly evolve the way cancer is treated."

CAR-T cells are genetically engineered T-cells with synthetic receptors that recognize a specific antigen expressed on tumor cells and when these CAR-T cells bind to a target, an immunological attack against the cancer cells is triggered.

By using Intrexon’s cell engineering techniques and RheoSwitch platform, the collaboration aims to develop products that empower the immune system in a regulated manner to overcome the current challenges of CAR-T therapy.

The deal offers Merck exclusive access to Intrexon’s proprietary and complementary suite of technologies to engineer T-cells with optimized and inducible gene expression, as recently strengthened by a license agreement with the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

Under the deal, Intrexon will be responsible for all platform and product developments until filing of investigational new drug (IND) application.