Carisma Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ: CARM), a U.S.-based company specializing in chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) macrophage therapies, has announced an expansion of its collaboration with fellow U.S. firm Moderna Inc. (NASDAQ: MRNA). This strategic partnership extension will focus on the development of in vivo CAR macrophage and monocyte (CAR-M) therapies for the treatment of autoimmune diseases. Under the terms of the expansion, Moderna gains the exclusive right to nominate two targets for autoimmune disease treatment, while Carisma retains all rights for other autoimmune disease targets not nominated by Moderna.
The original partnership between Moderna and Carisma, established in January 2022, involved an upfront payment of USD 45 million from Moderna, along with undisclosed milestone payments and royalties. The collaboration aimed to develop CAR-M candidates for cancer treatment, leveraging Carisma’s expertise in engineering macrophages to target and destroy cancer cells. – Flcube.com
