NEWS

GSK and Novartis receive Bluebird Biotechnology patent to develop gene therapy and CAR- T cell therapy

Release time:

2017-05-12 14:24

US biotech company Bluebird Bio (Bluebird Bio) recently announced that it has reached global licensing agreements with British pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis (Novartis) for its proprietary lentiviral vector platform.

Under the terms of the agreement, GlaxoSmithKline will obtain a non-exclusive license to Blue Bird Bio-Lentiviral Vector Technology for the development and commercialization of gene therapies for the treatment of Wiskot-Aldrich Syndrome (Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome,WAS, alias: Vero-Aldrich Syndrome) and metachrogenic leukodystrophy (metachromatic leukodystrophy,MLD).

These two diseases are rare genetic diseases. Among them, WAS is eczema thrombocytopenia with immune deficiency syndrome, which is a rare X-linked recessive genetic disease in which T cells, B cells and platelets are affected. The clinical manifestations are the triad of immune defects, eczema and thrombocytopenia. MLD is an autosomal recessive genetic disease, which is a common type of leukodystrophy. It is also known as metachromatic leukoencephalopathy. It is a serious neurodegenerative metabolic disease and is the most common lysosomal disease.

In a separate agreement, Novartis will receive a non-exclusive license to Bluebird Bio-lentiviral vector technology-related patents for the development and commercialization of chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapies (CAR-T, including Novartis's own anti-CD19 CAR-T experimental therapy CTL019) for oncology treatment. It is worth mentioning that just recently, Novartis also signed a non-exclusive agreement with Belgian biotechnology company Celyad to obtain an allogeneic chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)T cell technology developed by the latter for use in Novartis. Two undisclosed oncology targets.

Bluebird Bio is a pioneer in the field of gene therapy. The company is located in Massachusetts, USA and is a biotechnology company in the clinical stage. In recent years, the company has successfully established an integrated product platform covering gene therapy, T cell immunotherapy technology and gene editing technology based on its proprietary lentiviral vector technology. The developed candidate products have the potential to be applied to the fields of serious genetic diseases and cancer.

The Company's gene therapy pipeline projects include:(1)Lenti-D, currently in Phase II/III clinical development for the treatment of cerebral adrenoleukodystrophy (cerebral adrenoleukodystrophy,CALD); and (2)LentiGlobin, currently in 4 clinical studies for the treatment of transfusion-dependent beta-thalassemia and severe sickle cell disease.

The company's oncology pipeline program is based on lentiviral vector gene delivery technology and T cell engineering technology, focusing on the development of novel T cell immunotherapies, including chimeric antigen receptor T cell therapy (CAR-T) and T cell receptor therapy (TCR). Its lead product candidates include bb2121, an anti-BCMA CAR-T program developed in cooperation with Xinji (Celgene) and currently in Phase I clinical practice, for the treatment of relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (R/R MM).

News source:http://news.bioon.com/article/6703027.html

This news was re-edited and reorganized by the Huaxun team and added analytical comments.