Acepodia, a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing first-in-class cell therapies with its unique Antibody-Cell Conjugation (ACC) and allogeneic gamma delta 2 (γδ2) T cell platforms, has entered a strategic clinical collaboration with Pfizer Ignite to support the development of its therapies in autoimmune diseases.
Pfizer Ignite is an end-to-end offering that leverages Pfizer’s significant resources, scale, and expertise, alongside a proven track record in the development of breakthroughs, to support biotechs seeking to accelerate their innovations from preclinical R&D through the development lifecycle. Under this new agreement, Pfizer Ignite will provide strategic guidance and resources to Acepodia as the company develops its cell therapies for oncology and autoimmune diseases.
Acepodia’s ACC platform, which uses bioorthogonal chemistry and is based on the pioneering work of 2022 Nobel laureate Dr. Carolyn Bertozzi, who applied click chemistry to living systems, creates an off-the-shelf, non-genetically engineered version of CAR-T cell therapy that is more easily scaled and avoids cytokine release storms, neurotoxicity, and other side effects associated with CAR-T cell therapies. Acepodia’s lead clinical candidate, ACE1831, is currently being evaluated in a Phase 1 first-in-human clinical trial for patients with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and has demonstrated a robust and durable effect after a single treatment at the lowest dose.
“The significant unmet needs that exist in autoimmune diseases combined with the early positive results that have been seen with CAR-T therapies have opened the door for potential innovations that could provide the efficacy of CAR-T therapy without the challenges that have made routine use of CAR-T in autoimmune diseases difficult,” said Sonny Hsiao, Ph.D., chief executive officer of Acepodia. “We see a significant opportunity to bring the benefits of our ACC platform to autoimmune diseases, and working with Pfizer Ignite will position us well to deliver our immunotherapies to patients in desperate need of new options.”
By collaborating with Pfizer Ignite, Acepodia will benefit from Pfizer’s resources, deep expertise and R&D capabilities, covering multiple stages such as clinical trial design and regulatory strategies to improve the process of developing innovative drugs.
“Pfizer Ignite is focused on supporting the delivery of innovative therapies that are strategically aligned with Pfizer’s priority areas and have the potential to address significant gaps in patient care,” said Kathy Fernando, SVP, Head of Pfizer Ignite. “Drawing on Pfizer’s deep expertise in oncology and immunology, we look forward to collaborating with Acepodia to help translate their compelling scientific platform into impactful new medicines for patients with unmet need.”
With the agreement, Acepodia will retain all rights related to the progress of the program and future partnership opportunities.
