Kite Pharma and bluebird bio have entered a strategic collaboration agreement to develop and commercialise second-generation T-cell receptor (TCR) therapy products to treat human papillomavirus (HPV) associated cancers.
The second-generation TCR product candidates will be developed to deliver treatment against the HPV type 16 E6 oncoprotein incorporating gene editing and lentiviral technologies.
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bluebird bio’s gene editing will be incorporated to efficiently modify certain genes to enhance T-cell function, while its lentiviral vectors will be used to optimise delivery of HPV-16 E6 TCRs into patient T-cells.
Kite will lead the programme in the US and will have a co-promotion option in the European Union (EU), while bluebird bio will have the option to lead the programme in the EU and a co-promotion option in the US.
Overall costs, including research and development and sales and marketing expenses will be shared, and profits will be equally split between the companies.
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Kite chairman, president and chief executive officer Dr Arie Belldegrun said: "This partnership is a natural fit with our mission to develop and deliver novel immunotherapies for cancer patients, and collaborating globally with bluebird bio will allow us to benefit from the strengths and capabilities of both companies in immuno-oncology.
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By GlobalData"Through this collaboration, we will have access to our partner’s strong science expertise and enabling technologies to further enhance one of our key TCR programmes and to evaluate gene editing technology in the context of T-cell therapy."
HPV is the most common viral infection of the reproductive tract, with two viral strains, HPV type 16 and type 18.
It is believed to cause 70% of cervical cancers and precancerous cervical lesions, as well as other urogenital cancers. The infection has also become established as an etiologic risk factor for oropharyngeal head and neck cancers.
In 2012, more than 500,000 new cases and about 270,000 deaths attributable to cervical cancer were reported worldwide.
