Alloy Therapeutics Inc., a biotechnology company committed to making advanced drug discovery technologies more accessible, has entered into a strategic partnership and license agreement with Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited. This collaboration aims to enhance Takeda’s advanced iPSC-derived CAR-T cell platform (iCAR-T) and CAR-NK platform (iCAR-NK). Alloy’s role is to expedite the development of important treatments targeting solid tumors and blood cancers.
Developed through the T-CiRA collaborative research initiative between Takeda and Kyoto University’s Center for iPS Research and Application (CiRA), iCAR-T technology was born from cutting-edge research at CiRA’s Shin Kaneko’s lab. The technology transforms iPSCs into immune cells, with the potential to create ‘off-the-shelf’ cell therapies that combine high efficacy with reduced production costs compared to personalized cell therapies.
“iCAR-T marks a significant milestone for us, evolving from the T-CiRA program—a ten-year collaboration between Takeda and CiRA,” noted Yasushi Kajii, Head of R&D Japan Region at Takeda. “This agreement with Alloy is set to propel iCAR-T from research to clinical advancement. Alloy’s alignment with our innovation-driven mindset played a pivotal role in this partnership. We are eager to see iCAR-T and iCAR-NK progress to their next stage.”
The agreement grants Alloy co-exclusive rights to develop and commercialize iCAR-T and iCAR-NK products for cancer treatments. Utilizing its distinctive business strategy, Alloy aims to push forward the iCAR-T/NK platforms while offering the technology to biotech and pharma partners to craft therapies for various cancers, including those affecting solid tissues. Future enhancements and clinical trials will fortify this platform’s efficacy.
“Collaborating with Takeda to realize the potential of iPSC technology is both an honor and an exciting endeavor,” expressed Errik Anderson, founder, chairman, and CEO of Alloy. “This partnership showcases how our adaptable methods foster groundbreaking scientific advancement. We envision a dynamic engagement with the global ecosystem to unlock the immense potential of iPSC and cultivate new cancer therapies.”
Additionally, Alloy plans to expand its operations with a subsidiary in Shonan Health Innovation Park, Kanagawa Prefecture, led by Victor Stone (Yoshihide Ishii) as Head of Alloy Cell Therapies and Alloy Therapeutics Japan.
Alloy Therapeutics is a pioneering force in empowering the global scientific community through the democratization of pre-competitive drug development tools, technologies, and services. Its ecosystem encourages partner collaboration across academia, biotech, and renowned biopharma to innovate therapeutic biologics spanning various modalities.
Takeda’s mission centers on enhancing global health and pioneering impactful life-transforming therapies. Their core focus areas encompass innovative treatments in gastrointestinal health, rare diseases, plasma-derived therapies, oncology, neuroscience, and vaccines.