Biotechnology company Obsidian Therapeutics is collaborating with major biopharma player Celgene to discover and develop novel, regulated cell therapies.
cell therapy
The collaboration is based on the utilisation of Obsidian’s Destabilising Domain (DD) technology for the controlled expression of two immunomodulatory factors, IL12 and CD40L. These immunomodulatory factors have the potential to augment the power of adoptive cell therapies but require precise control to optimise their therapeutic benefit.
Through the collaboration, Celgene will have exclusive in-license worldwide rights for cell therapy candidates that incorporate DD-regulate Il12 or CD40L for the treatment of cancer.
"Obsidian’s technology has the potential to unlock the activity of cell therapy in a number of new settings, particularly against solid tumour malignancies, and this is a prime example of the new technologies that we see enabling broader applications for CAR-T and cell therapies for the treatment of cancer," said Robert Hershberg, executive vice president, business development & global alliances for Celgene Corporation. "We value the innovation that the Obsidian team can bring and we look forward to working together to bring powerful new immunotherapies to patients.”
Obsidian’s technology enables integration and precise pharmacologic control of potent new activities in cell therapies and offers additional capabilities to Celgene’s portfolio of cellular immunotherapies for cancer.
“This collaboration focuses the Obsidian team on product development, accelerates the advance of our innovative technology toward clinical applications, and positions us to expand our own platform and portfolio,” said Michael Gilman, CEO of Obsidian. “We are thrilled to be partnering with Celgene and will benefit from their capabilities in the development and commercialisation of cancer medicines. We share an ambitious vision of the potential for cell therapy to benefit patients with cancer and look forward to working together with the Celgene team to realise it.”