Agreements

Date: 2017-12-05

Type of information: Licensing agreement

Compound: LY3039478

Company: Juno Therapeutics (USA - WA) Eli Lilly (USA - IN)

Therapeutic area: Cancer - Oncology

Type agreement: licensing

Action mechanism:

gamma secretase inhibitor/notch inhibitor/cell therapy/immunotherapy product/gene therapy/CAR-T cell therapy
Gamma secretase is an enzyme that cleaves a set of transmembrane proteins, including BCMA. Multiple publications have shown that treatment with GSIs can increase surface expression of B-cell Maturation Antigen (BCMA) on tumors, particularly multiple myeloma. Increased cell surface BCMA may increase potency of a BCMA-directed CAR T therapy.
LY3039478 is a small molecule that has been shown in vitro to inhibit Notch signaling. It prevents release of Notch intracellular domain (NICD) by inhibiting proteolytic activity of ?-secretase complex and thereby decreasing Notch signaling and its downstream biologic effects. LY3039478 is being investigated in a clinical trial in patients with T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia or T-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma, and in phase I clinical trials.

Disease: multiple myeloma

Details:

• On December 6, 2017, Juno Therapeutics announced license agreements to advance its program in multiple myeloma using gamma secretase inhibitors (GSIs) in combination with BCMA (B-cell Maturation Antigen-directed CAR T cells. Through an agreement with Eli Lilly, Juno will acquire a license to the GSI known as LY3039478, a product candidate that has been studied in 411 patients and healthy volunteers. No other terms the transaction were disclosed.
Through agreements with OncoTracker and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Juno will also gain exclusive rights to intellectual property within the field of combinations of GSIs and BCMA-directed engineered T cells.

Financial terms:

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