GLPG - Galapagos and Adaptimmune sign clinical collaboration agreement with an option to exclusively license Adaptimmune's TCR T-cell therapy candidate uza-cel in head & neck cancer and potential future solid tumor indications | Benzinga
- Adaptimmune and Galapagos to conduct clinical proof-of-concept trial to evaluate the safety and efficacy of uza-cel (next generation MAGE-A4 TCR T-cell therapy) produced on Galapagos' decentralized manufacturing platform in patients with head & neck cancer
- Uza-cel has shown encouraging results in head & neck cancer with partial responses in four out of five patients to date in a Phase 1 trial using Adaptimmune's centralized manufacturing platform
- Initial in vitro testing of uza-cel produced on Galapagos' decentralized manufacturing platform has shown encouraging data that support further clinical development
- Adaptimmune to receive initial payments of $100 million, comprising $70 million upfront and $30 million of R&D funding, option exercise fees of up to $100 million, additional development and sales milestone payments of up to a maximum of $465 million, plus tiered royalties on net sales
- Galapagos has been granted an option to exclusively license uza-cel for global development and commercialization in head & neck cancer, and potential future solid tumor cancer indications
Mechelen, Belgium and Philadelphia, PA, U.S. and Oxford, UK; 30 May 2024 22:01 CET; regulated information – inside information – Galapagos NV ((Euronext &, NASDAQ:GLPG) and Adaptimmune Therapeutics plc (NASDAQ:ADAP) announced today that they have entered into a clinical collaboration agreement with an option to exclusively license Adaptimmune's next-generation TCR T-cell therapy (uza-cel) targeting MAGE-A4 for head & neck cancer and potential future solid tumor indications, using Galapagos' decentralized cell manufacturing platform.
Uza-cel is a next-generation clinical-stage engineered TCR T-cell therapy developed by Adaptimmune, targeting the MAGE-A4 cancer antigen expressed in various solid tumors. Uza-cel is engineered to express the CD8? co-receptor alongside the engineered TCR that targets MAGE-A4. Data indicate that co-expression of CD8? may broaden and increase the immune response against solid tumors.1
The Adaptimmune sponsored Phase 1 SURPASS trial with centrally manufactured uza-cel has shown encouraging results in head & neck cancer with an overall response rate of 80%. Initial in vitro results suggest that uza-cel, produced on Galapagos' decentralized manufacturing platform, yields early phenotype T-cells that could improve efficacy and durability compared to uza-cel centrally manufactured on Adaptimmune's platform.2 In addition, Galapagos' decentralized manufacturing platform offers the potential for the delivery of fresh, fit cells with a vein-to-vein time of seven days in a patient population in which rapid access to treatment is vital.
Dr. Paul Stoffels3, Galapagos' Chief Executive Officer and Chairman: "We are excited to partner with Adaptimmune, a pioneer in TCR T-cell therapy, as this fully aligns with our strategic vision to advance novel cell therapies. This collaboration enables us to expand our oncology cell therapy portfolio to include treatments for solid tumors and next-generation therapies, leveraging our innovative, decentralized cell therapy manufacturing platform. For patients with head & neck cancer, an area with significant unmet medical ...