Immusoft, a Seattle-based cell therapy company, has signed a research collaboration and license option agreement with Takeda to discover, develop and commercialise transformative cell therapies for are neurometabolic disorders.
The research and development will utilise Immusoft’s Immune System Programming (ISP) technology platform, which modifies a patient’s B cells and instructs the cells to deliver gene-encoded therapies.
The collaboration will focus on delivering protein therapeutics across the blood-brain barrier, a promising area of Immusoft’s research, which has the potential to enable the treatment of diseases with high unmet need.
As per the agreement, Immusoft will receive an undisclosed upfront payment and research funding support. The company is also eligible to receive future option fees and milestone payments with a total potential value of more than $900 million if all options are exercised and all milestones are achieved over the course of the partnership.
Takeda has options to exclusively license the programs at the preclinical stage and Immusoft is eligible for tiered royalties on future products resulting from the partnership. Takeda would be responsible for further preclinical and clinical development, and commercialisation.
Sean Ainsworth, CEO of Immusoft, said: “This partnership provides Immusoft with significant resources to further develop our Immune System Programming (ISP) technology platform, and therapies in diseases for which patients have limited options.”
