Under the worldwide collaboration, Kite will get exclusive rights to use the ZFN technology to modify genes to develop ex vivo cell therapies for both autologous and allogeneic use in the treatment of various cancers.
According to the partners, allogeneic cell therapies either from healthy donor cells or from renewable stem cells would offer a potential treatment option, that can be directly accessed within the oncology infusion center, thereby decreasing the time to infusion for cancer patients.
Gilead president and CEO John Milligan said: “The emergence of gene editing as a tool to edit immune cells holds promise in the development of therapies with potentially improved safety, efficacy and efficiency.
“We believe Sangamo’s zinc finger nucleases provide the optimal gene editing platform, and we look forward to working with Sangamo to accelerate our efforts to develop next-generation autologous cell therapies, as well as allogeneic treatments that can be accessed more conveniently in the hospital setting for people living with cancer.”
As per the terms of the agreement, Kite is paying Sangamo an $150m upfront and committing to $3.01bn in milestones, associated with 10 or more products of Kite that will use the ZFN technology.
Sangamo would also get tiered royalties on sales of potential future products resulting from the collaboration.
Kite will develop, manufacture and commercialize products under the collaboration. The company will also be responsible for agreed upon expenses incurred by Sangamo.
Kite, which develops cell therapies, was acquired by Gilead for $11.9bn in 2017.
Sangamo president and CEO Sandy Macrae said: “This collaboration between Kite and Sangamo brings together two leading platforms to develop best-in-class cell therapies in oncology.
“We are excited by Kite’s commitment to driving innovation in this field and look forward to working together to realize the full promise of cell therapy in treating cancer.”
The transaction will be closed depending on clearance under the Hart-Scott Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act and meeting of other customary closing conditions.
Image: Kite will use Sangamo’s ZFN technology to modify genes to develop ex vivo cell therapies for cancer. Photo: courtesy of Toeytoey/FreeDigitalPhotos.net.