AbbVie and Umoja Collaborate to Advance CAR-T Cell Therapy

Pharmaceutical giant AbbVie and Umoja Biopharma have announced a strategic partnership to develop novel in-situ CAR-T cell therapies, representing a potential paradigm shift in cancer treatment.

AbbVie and Umoja Biopharma have entered into agreements to develop in-situ generated CAR-T cell therapies for oncology, utilizing Umoja's VivoVec™ platform. This collaboration aims to enhance cancer treatment by enabling in-body generation of CAR-T cells, potentially overcoming current therapy limitations and significant advancement in cancer immunotherapy. Financially, the deal includes upfront payments and royalties, totaling up to $1.44 billion.

A New Era in Genetic Medicine

Jonathon Sedgwick, Vice President and Global Head of Discovery Research at AbbVie, emphasizes that in-situ CAR-T cell therapy represents a groundbreaking use of genetic medicine concepts. "As we continue to strengthen our oncology portfolio, we believe that in-situ CAR-T cell therapy represents a paradigm shift utilizing genetic medicine concepts. We look forward to working with Umoja's team to advance next-generation in-situ CAR-T therapies."

The Essence of the Collaboration

AbbVie and Umoja Biopharma's collaboration, under two exclusive agreements, focuses on developing multiple in-situ CAR-T cell therapies using Umoja's VivoVec™ platform. The first agreement grants AbbVie exclusive rights to license Umoja's CD19 directed CAR-T therapies, including UB-VV111 for hematologic malignancies. The second agreement is geared towards developing up to four additional CAR-T cell therapy candidates for specific targets selected by AbbVie.

Innovative Approach to CAR-T Therapy

Umoja's VivoVec™ gene delivery platform is a novel approach that combines advanced lentiviral vector gene delivery with a unique T-cell targeting and activation surface complex. This technology enables T cells within the body to produce their own cancer-fighting CAR-T cells in vivo, potentially addressing several challenges associated with traditional CAR-T treatments. These challenges include the need for collecting and externally modifying a patient's or donor's cells, the time delays and manufacturing complexities of ex vivo cell modification, and the requirement for lymphodepletion in patients.

A Strategic Partnership

Dr. Andrew Scharenberg, CEO of Umoja, highlights the synergy between AbbVie's commitment to addressing patient needs and Umoja's investments in vector biology and commercial-scale manufacturing. "By bringing together AbbVie's like-minded pursuit of addressing patient unmet needs with our investments in vector biology and fully-owned commercial-scale manufacturing, we look forward to progressing multiple VivoVec™ drug candidates into the clinic in the coming years."

Financial Aspects and Future Prospects

The partnership is underpinned by upfront payments and an equity investment from AbbVie to Umoja. Additionally, Umoja may receive up to $1.44 billion in aggregate for option exercise fees, development, and regulatory milestones across both agreements. This includes the potential for further sales-based milestones and tiered royalties on global net sales.