Kite partners with Shoreline Biosciences to develop allogeneic cell therapies

Kite – a Gilead company – has entered into a strategic partnership with Shoreline Biosciences to develop novel allogeneic cell therapies across a range of cancer targets.

Shoreline will bring its expertise in induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) and genetic reprogramming to the partnership, while Kite will bring its expertise in cell therapy development, commercialisation and manufacturing.

Together, the companies will work to develop novel allogeneic candidates for use in haematologic malignancies.

“The combined strength of Kite’s leadership in CAR T-cell therapies and our cutting-edge iPSC platform will potentially accelerate Shoreline’s timeline to the clinic, expand our pipeline opportunities and deliver transformational treatment options for cancer,” said Kleanthis G. Xanthopoulos, co-founder, chairman and chief executive officer of Shoreline.

Initially, the collaboration will focus on chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) natural killer (NK) targets. Kite will also retain an option to expand the collaboration to include an iPSC CAR macrophage programme for an undisclosed target, to be agreed on after completion of the deal.

Shoreline will receive an undisclosed upfront payment and will also be eligible to receive additional payments that could make the deal worth over $2.3bn. In addition, Shoreline will receive royalties based on the achievement of certain development and commercial milestones.

“As the leader in cell therapy, we are focused on investing in and delivering the most promising opportunities to further optimise the therapeutic potential of cell therapy,” said Mert Aktar, vice president of corporate development and strategy at Kite.

“We are excited about the potential of Shoreline’s next-generation approach to allogeneic development, and how our collaboration can accelerate this research across different leukaemias and lymphomas,” he added.

Earlier this year, Kite signed a research collaboration agreement with Oxford BioTherapeutics (OBT) to develop novel targets in a range of oncology indications.

The collaboration will evaluate five novel targets for a number of haematologic and solid tumour indications, according to a press release.

The novel drug targets, already identified using OBT’s OGAP discovery platform, will be validated by the Oxford, UK-based oncology specialist as part of the Kite collaboration.

As part of the agreement, Kite and Gilead will obtain an exclusive right to develop and commercialise any therapies resulting from the collaboration based on the specified targets or antibodies.