Astellas Pharma Inc. (TYO: 4503) has announced a strategic research collaboration and licensing agreement with U.S.-based biotech company Kelonia Therapeutics. The partnership, established through Astellas’ subsidiary Xyphos Biosciences, will leverage Kelonia’s proprietary in vivo gene placement system (iGPS) to engineer advanced lentiviral particles for targeted genetic delivery, in conjunction with Xyphos’s ACCEL (Advanced Cellular Control through Engineered Ligands) platform. The goal is to develop innovative chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapeutics, specifically aiming for universal, off-the-shelf CAR-T therapies.
As part of the licensing agreement, Xyphos will retain development and commercialization rights for products arising from this collaboration. Kelonia will receive an upfront payment of $40 million for the initial program, with an additional $35 million contingent upon Xyphos exercising its option for a second program. Astellas has committed to potential milestone payments and other financial incentives totaling up to approximately $800 million. Furthermore, Kelonia will benefit from R&D funding for collaborative efforts and tiered royalties on future net sales, reaching double-digit percentages.- Flcube.com
