Kite, Appia Bio to Research Allogeneic Cell Therapies for Cancer

Kite and Appia Bio recently collaborated to research and develop HSC-derived allogeneic cell therapies for cancers.

Under the collaboration, the companies will develop chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-engineered invariant natural killer T (CAR-iNKT) using Appia Bio’s ACUA technology platform for allogeneic cell therapy.

“As a pioneer in cell therapy, Kite is deeply committed to developing the next-generation of cell therapies to treat and potentially cure cancer patients,” Mert Aktar, vice president of corporate development and strategy at Kite, said in the announcement.

“Through our collaboration with Appia Bio, we’re excited to harness unique biological properties of invariant natural killer T cells to research and develop allogeneic cell therapies for cancer,” Aktar continued.

Appia Bio will leverage the biology of lymphocyte development through its ACUA technology to generate CAR-iNKT cells from HSCs. Overall, the platform offers improved efficacy, and safety, and streamlined manufacturing of HSC-derived CAR iNKT-cell therapies for hematologic malignancies.

Appia Bio is an early-stage biotechnology company founded in 2020 to develop engineered allogeneic cell therapies from hematopoietic stem cells for cancer patients.

Recently, the company announced the completion of its $52 million Series A financing to support the advancement of its pipeline of allogeneic CAR-iNKT cell therapy candidates into the clinic.

8VC led the financing, along with investors including Two Sigma Ventures and participation from seed investors Sherpa Healthcare Partners and Freeflow Ventures.

“We are thrilled to partner with a leader in cell therapy such as Kite, who shares our vision for the potential of iNKT cells in off-the-shelf allogeneic cell therapy,” said JJ Kang, PhD, chief executive officer of Appia Bio.

“Our partnership with Kite is an important step toward establishing the broad pipeline potential of our ACUA platform and bringing new treatment options to patients,” Kang continued.

Under the terms of the agreement, Appia Bio will receive an upfront payment, equity investment, and additional milestone payments for a total value of up to $875 million, as well as tiered royalties.

The company will be responsible for preclinical and early clinical research of two HSC-derived CAR-iNKT product candidates engineered with CARs. At the same time, Kite will be responsible for developing, manufacturing, and commercialization of the product candidates identified through the collaboration.