Precision Biosciences Inc. (NASDAQ: DTIL) has announced an exclusive licensing agreement with Tiziana Life Sciences Plc. (NASDAQ: TLSA) for Tiziana’s anti-CD£ antibody, foralumab as an agent for inducing allogeneic CAR T cells tolerance to potentially improved CAR T cell therapy clinical outcomes.
Precision Biosciences Receives exclusive agreement for foralumab
The CD3 receptor is found on effector T cells, and an anti-CD3 antibody, such as foralumab, has the ability to eradicate or tolerate patient effector T cells. In addition, Precision’s production process, which includes using ARCUS to wipe out the TRAC gene and a CD3-depletion step, results in allogeneic CAR T candidates that are >99.9% CD3-negative. Thus, to optimize long-term clinical advantages, foralumab could be utilized to allow CAR T cells to grow, multiply, and persist.
Precision Biosciences Chief Medical Officer Alan List said, “We are building out an allogeneic CAR T platform with editing strategies and novel conditioning regimens, such as a lymphodepleting agent like foralumab, for a broad range of hematologic malignancies and solid tumors. By combining Precision’s know-how in constructing novel CAR T products with novel conditioning regimens, we will explore this approach to potentially improve durability of clinical responses to our therapeutic platform.”
Tiziana to receive royalties and milestone payments
As per the terms of the agreement, Precision receives an exclusive license to employ foralumab as a lymphodepletion agent in combination with its allogeneic CAR T therapies for the treatment of malignancies. In addition, Precision will be in charge of foralumab’s research, commercialization, and expenditures, while Tiziana will get an upfront payment, royalties, and certain milestone payments for foralumab.
Tiziana Life Sciences CEO and Chief Scientific Officers Kunwar Shailubhai said, “We’re pleased to offer Precision the exclusive opportunity to explore foralumab, our fully human anti-CD3 monoclonal antibody, for use as a potential lymphodepletion strategy with their allogeneic CAR T programs. We are impressed with Precision’s novel approaches to CAR T development, offering the potential for a meaningful off-the-shelf solution.”
