AstraZeneca to acquire Chinese cancer and autoimmune therapy company Gracell Biotechnologies for $1.2bn
AstraZeneca has agreed to acquire Chinese cancer and autoimmune therapy company Gracell Biotechnologies Inc for a potential $1.2billion.
The acquisition is designed to strengthen its pipeline of cell therapies and its foothold in China, its second biggest market after the US.
Gracell has begun Phase 1B/II trials of GC012F - a FasTCAR-enabled BCMA/CD19 dual-targeting autologous CAR-T cell therapy. It is being evaluated as a potential new treatment for multiple myeloma, as well as other haematologic malignancies and autoimmune diseases, including systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).
Susan Galbraith, executive vice president, oncology R&D, AstraZeneca, said: “The proposed acquisition of Gracell will complement AstraZeneca’s existing capabilities and previous investments in cell therapy, where we have established our presence in CAR-T and T-cell receptor therapies (TCR-Ts) in solid tumours.
“GC012F will accelerate our cell therapy strategy in haematology, with the opportunity to bring a potential best-in-class treatment to patients living with blood cancers using a differentiated manufacturing process, as well as exploring the potential for cell therapy to reset the immune response in autoimmune diseases.”
Autologous CAR-T is a type of cell therapy in which a patient’s immune T cells are reprogrammed to target disease-causing cells. The manufacturing process is usually complex and time-consuming, but Gracell’s FasTCAR platform significantly shortens it while improving T cell fitness, which could improve the effectiveness of autologous CAR-T treatment in patients.
In future, the technology could also be applied to tackle rare diseases.
Dr William Cao, founder, Chairman and CEO, Gracell, said: “We look forward to working with AstraZeneca to accelerate our shared goal of bringing transformative cell therapies to more patients living with debilitating diseases. By combining our expertise and resources, we can unlock new ways to harness the Gracell FasTCAR manufacturing platform, which we believe has the potential to optimise the therapeutic profile of engineered T cells, to pioneer the next generation of autologous cell therapies.”
Gracell will operate as a wholly owned subsidiary of AstraZeneca, with operations in China and the US.
AstraZeneca is paying $1bn upfront, and further potential contingent value payments could take the deal to $1.2bn.
The Cambridge-based biopharmaceutical also acquired to Chinese biotech firm Eccogene in November in order to develop a weight-loss pill.
