AbelZeta Pharma Inc., a Sino-U.S. biotech firm based in Rockville, Maryland, and Shanghai, has announced a co-development agreement with AstraZeneca (AZ, NASDAQ: AZN) for its C-CAR031 chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy. C-CAR031 is an autologous, armored CAR-T therapy specifically targeting GPC3, currently under development for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The innovative therapy leverages AstraZeneca’s proprietary transforming growth factor-beta receptor II (TGFβRII) dominant negative armoring discovery platform, while AbelZeta will handle the manufacturing of the product in China.
As part of the agreement, AstraZeneca will provide AbelZeta with upfront and milestone payments for the co-development and commercialization of C-CAR031 in China, in addition to royalties from the global development of AZD58581. AstraZeneca will retain sole responsibility for AZD58581 outside of China. Earlier this year, AbelZeta presented promising safety and preliminary efficacy data for C-CAR031 from an investigator-initiated trial at the AACR 2023 summit.- Flcube.com
