Date: 2017-05-09
Type of information: Development agreement
Compound: gamma delta (??) T cell therapies
Company: Takeda Pharmaceutical (Japan) GammaDelta Therapeutics (UK)
Therapeutic area: Cancer - Oncology - Autoimmune diseases
Type agreement: development
Action mechanism:
- cell therapy/immunotherapy product. Gamma delta T cells are a unique and conserved population of lymphocytes that contribute to many types of immune responses and immunopathologies. These cells have unique properties that enable them to combine the specificity of an adaptive immune response with the speed of an innate cellular response. They are able to recognise molecular patterns of dysregulation in stressed, infected or transformed cells and are already resident in tissues such as the skin or the colon, as well as the blood, to carry out tissue surveillance and maintain homeostasis. Once these cells recognise alterations of physiological self, they respond in situ and very quickly without the need for priming by antigen presenting cells or clonal expansion in the lymphatic system. They can kill transformed or infected cells immediately, attract the conventional adaptive immune system or present antigen themselves in order to start a fully developed systemic immune response.
Tissue-resident ?? T cells represent a compelling new approach as these cells home to and reside within tissue where they respond to perturbation of ‘normal self’. To this end, ?? T cells recognise so-called “stress antigens” which are indicative of infection or malignant transformation.
Disease: cancers including solid tumors, autoinflammatory diseases
Details:
- • On May 9, 2017, Takeda Pharmaceutical and GammaDelta Therapeutics announced that they have formed a strategic collaboration to develop GammaDelta Therapeutics’ novel T cell platform, which is based on the unique properties of gamma delta (??) T cells derived from human tissues. The companies intend to use this novel platform to discover and develop new immunotherapies, with the aim of treating a broad range of cancers, including solid tumours, and autoinflammatory diseases.
- GammaDelta Therapeutics has been founded on pioneering research into gamma delta (??) T cells led by Professor Adrian Hayday and Dr Oliver Nussbaumer at King’s College London and the Francis Crick Institute and funded in part by Cancer Research UK. Founded in 2016, this immunotherapy company is incubated by Abingworth and supported by Cancer Research Technology, King’s College London and the Francis Crick Institute.
Financial terms:
- Takeda, together with Abingworth, will commit up to $100 million in funding to accelerate GammaDelta Therapeutics led Research and Development. The funding includes an equity investment, an option fee and research and development funding, and provides Takeda the exclusive right to purchase GammaDelta Therapeutics. Under the agreement, Takeda will appoint a director to GammaDelta Therapeutics’ board.
- Takeda signed certain of the agreements with GammaDelta Therapeutics through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
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