Cellectis and AstraZeneca Form Strategic Alliance for Cell Therapy Development
Cellectis and AstraZeneca have signed strategic collaboration and investment agreements to develop up to 10 novel cell therapy candidates. Cellectis will receive significant funding and utilize its technologies.
Biotechnology firm Cellectis has entered into strategic collaboration and investment agreements with pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca. The collaboration aims to accelerate the development of next-generation cell and gene therapies for areas with high unmet medical needs, including oncology, immunology, and rare diseases.
Under the terms of the agreement, AstraZeneca will leverage Cellectis' proprietary gene-editing technologies and manufacturing capabilities to design novel cell and gene therapy candidate products. AstraZeneca has exclusively reserved 25 genetic targets, from which up to 10 candidate products may be explored for development. The company also holds an option for a worldwide exclusive license for candidate products prior to IND filing.
Cellectis is set to receive up to $245 million in cash, including an initial equity investment of $80 million and a $25 million upfront payment. Furthermore, Cellectis may be eligible for additional milestone payments and tiered royalties on the commercialization of candidate products. AstraZeneca will fund Cellectis' research costs within the collaboration.
This partnership marks a significant step for Cellectis as it focuses on commercializing its gene-editing based cell therapy platforms. The collaboration with AstraZeneca provides Cellectis with resources and expertise to advance and bring new treatments to market.