CRISPR Therapeutics expands MaxCyte partnership into immuno-oncology
Gene-editing company CRISPR Therapeutics has expanded its partnership with US-based MaxCyte, which focuses on cell-based medicines, into the immuno-oncology arena.
On Friday, November 9, the companies announced a non-exclusive commercial licence that will allow CRISPR Therapeutics to use MaxCyte’s flow electroporation technology to develop CRISPR/Cas9-based therapies in immuno-oncology.
According to the release, MaxCyte’s technology allows for the “engineering of a broad range of therapeutically-relevant cell types at high efficiency while maintaining high viability and recovery”.
The expanded partnership builds on an existing agreement (announced in March 2017) which allowed for the development of commercial therapeutics for haemoglobin-related diseases.
Samarth Kulkarni, CEO of CRISPR Therapeutics, said: “As we advance our allogeneic CAR-T programmes into the clinic, we are preparing for the future by securing our access to the leading ex vivo delivery platform for both clinical and commercial use, just as we previously did for our haemoglobinopathy developmental candidates.”
Under the new agreement, CRISPR Therapeutics will receive non-exclusive development and commercial-use rights to MaxCyte’s cell engineering platform.
MaxCyte will receive milestone and sales-based payments in addition to other licensing fees.
Doug Doerfler, president and CEO of MaxCyte, added: “The expansion of our relationship with CRISPR Therapeutics signifies a key milestone for MaxCyte and our technology, providing further validation for the value and versatility of our technology as a leading enabler of next-generation cell-based therapies.”
In September this year, CRISPR Therapeutics partnered with ViaCyte, which focuses on regenerative medicine, to work on the discovery, development and commercialisation of gene-edited allogeneic stem cell therapies for the treatment of diabetes.
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