Kite and Refuge Biotechnologies Announce Exclusive License Agreement for Investigational Gene Expression Platform for Blood Cancers

 

   -- Agreement Provides Kite with Additional Expertise in Synthetic Biology Space for Oncology --   

 

Kite, a Gilead Company (Nasdaq: GILD) and Refuge Biotechnologies, Inc. ("Refuge"), today announced that Kite has entered into an exclusive, worldwide license agreement with Refuge, a synthetic biology company for cancer immunotherapy, for exclusive rights to utilize Refuge's proprietary gene expression platform to develop potential treatments for blood cancers.

 

Refuge's proprietary platform is a synthetic biology system that utilizes an expression modulation strategy to repress or activate transcription of target genes. Early pre-clinical data suggest a potential for this highly modular platform to regulate target antigen-dependent gene expression as a means to improve upon both the efficacy and safety of first-generation CAR T-cell therapies. Kite will have an exclusive license to Refuge's intellectual property portfolio for use in blood cancers, as well as a library of synthetic gene expression programs for these indications. Refuge will retain all rights and programs related to solid tumor indications.

 

"First-generation autologous CAR T-cell therapies have dramatically changed outcomes for people with certain blood cancers yet more work needs to be done to reach additional patients. As the global CAR T-cell therapy leader, Kite is working on the next generation of cell therapies with the goal to improve upon the great results we have today so more patients can benefit," said Francesco Marincola, MD, Global Head of Cell Therapy Research, Kite. "Through this exclusive license agreement with Refuge's platform, coupled with our unique in-house research capabilities, we aim to create a new generation of CAR T-cell products to induce long-term remissions for more patients."

 

"As a leader in the advancement of cell therapy from research to life-changing therapeutics, Kite is an ideal partner for Refuge as we seek to further evaluate the promise of Refuge's proprietary platform," said Jing Zhao, Chief Business Officer, Refuge. "We look forward to collaborating closely with Kite in this area, while continuing to advance our internal therapeutic research and programs focused on solid tumors."

 

Under the terms of the agreement, Kite will be responsible for all costs and activities related to research, development, manufacturing and commercialization. Kite will also make an upfront payment to Refuge and Refuge will be eligible to receive potential performance-based regulatory milestone payments.

 

   About Kite   

 

Kite, a Gilead Company, is a global biopharmaceutical company based in Santa Monica, California, with manufacturing operations in North America and Europe. Kite's singular focus is cell therapy to treat and potentially cure cancer. As the cell therapy leader, Kite has more approved CAR T indications to help more patients than any other company. For more information on Kite, please visit www.kitepharma.com . Follow Kite on social media on Twitter (@KitePharma) and LinkedIn.

 

   About Gilead Sciences   

 

Gilead Sciences, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company that has pursued and achieved breakthroughs in medicine for more than three decades, with the goal of creating a healthier world for all people. The company is committed to advancing innovative medicines to prevent and treat life-threatening diseases, including HIV, viral hepatitis and cancer. Gilead operates in more than 35 countries worldwide, with headquarters in Foster City, California.

 

   About Refuge Biotechnologies   

 

Refuge Biotechnologies is a synthetic biology company developing intelligent cell therapeutics for cancer immunotherapy. By connecting ligand specific receptors to dCas, Refuge enables cells to sense its surroundings and conditionally activate or repress multiple genes when they encounter specific external antigens. In particular, with receptor-dCas, immune cells can now be engineered to conditionally turn off or on certain immune-inhibitory or immune-stimulatory genes on-demand, to generate more potent CAR-T immune cells when it senses the presence of a tumor cell. For further information, please visit www.refugebiotech.com .

 

   Forward Looking Statements   

 

This press release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 that are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, including the risk that Kite may not realize the anticipated benefits of this licensing agreement with Refuge Biotechnologies; difficulties or unanticipated expenses in connection with the licensing agreement and the potential effect on Kite's earnings; the possibility that the parties may make a strategic decision to terminate this agreement at any time; the ability of the parties to initiate, progress or complete clinical trials within currently anticipated timelines or at all, and the possibility of unfavorable results from ongoing or additional trials, including those involving potential treatments for blood cancers developed utilizing Refuge's proprietary gene expression platform; and any assumptions underlying any of the foregoing. These and other risks, uncertainties and other factors are described in detail in Gilead's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2022, as filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. These risks, uncertainties and other factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those referred to in the forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical fact are statements that could be deemed forward-looking statements. The reader is cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties, and is cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements are based on information currently available to Kite and Gilead, and Kite and Gilead assume no obligation and disclaim any intent to update any such forward-looking statements.

 

  Kite, the Kite logo, and GILEAD are trademarks of Gilead Sciences, Inc. or its related companies   .  

 

  For more information on Kite, please visit the company's website at www.kitepharma.com . Follow Kite on social media on Twitter ( @KitePharma ) and LinkedIn .  

 

  

  

Jacquie Ross, Investors
investor_relations@gilead.com  

 

Tracy Rossin, Media
trossin@kitepharma.com  

 

News Provided by Business Wire via QuoteMedia

GILD
The Conversation (0)
CHMP Adopts Positive Opinion Recommending Hepcludex®  for Full Marketing Authorization for the Treatment of Hepatitis Delta Virus

CHMP Adopts Positive Opinion Recommending Hepcludex® for Full Marketing Authorization for the Treatment of Hepatitis Delta Virus

 

   --   If Granted by the European Commission, Hepcludex will Become the Only Approved Treatment for HDV in the EU --   

 

 Gilead Sciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: GILD) today announced that the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has adopted a positive opinion for Hepcludex ® (bulevirtide) for the treatment of adults with chronic HDV and compensated liver disease, and recommended granting full Marketing Authorisation (MA) that is no longer subject to specific obligations. Bulevirtide was initially granted conditional marketing authorisation in July 2020 to provide people living with HDV urgent access to treatment. The CHMP recommendation for full Marketing Authorisation of bulevirtide follows the submission of the Phase 3 MYR301 Week 48 study data, which reinforces the efficacy and safety profile of bulevirtide for the treatment of HDV.

News Provided by Business Wire via QuoteMedia

Keep reading...Show less
Gilead Remains Steadfast in Support for Hepatitis C Elimination Efforts

Gilead Remains Steadfast in Support for Hepatitis C Elimination Efforts

The recent national conversation on hepatitis C (HCV) is an encouraging step towards viral hepatitis elimination in the U.S. With its long history of leadership in viral hepatitis, Gilead continues to support efforts that focus on HCV elimination. Gilead is proud that its medicines have treated over four million individuals living with HCV globally. Today, some 2.4 million people are living with HCV in the U.S., even though ~95% of those treated with direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) are cured. Prices of HCV medicines have dropped significantly, and many acknowledge that price is not a barrier for most payers and patients. Curative HCV drug therapies are just one part of an elimination strategy that needs to dedicate considerable resources and attention to screening and linkage to care so that all patients in need of HCV treatment can access it in a timely manner and achieve a cure

News Provided by ACCESSWIRE via QuoteMedia

Keep reading...Show less
Gilead Sciences Announces First Quarter 2023 Financial Results

Gilead Sciences Announces First Quarter 2023 Financial Results

 

  Product Sales Excluding Veklury Increased 15% Year-Over-Year to $5.7 billion  

 

  Biktarvy Sales Increased 24% Year-Over-Year to $2.7 billion  

News Provided by Business Wire via QuoteMedia

Keep reading...Show less
Gilead Sciences Releases Inaugural ESG Impact Report

Gilead Sciences Releases Inaugural ESG Impact Report

Gilead Sciences recently released its inaugural Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Impact Report. This is an evolution of our traditional Year in Review, and uses the ESG framework to highlight the successes and achievements of the prior year

Though the report itself is new, our commitment to practicing ESG is not: We've been guided by Environmental, Social and Governance principles for more than 35 years.

News Provided by ACCESSWIRE via QuoteMedia

Keep reading...Show less
abigail echo-hawk

CORRECTION: Contakt World Becomes Data Partner for Health Equity Tracker Project to Improve the Collection of De-Identified Racial & Ethnic Minority Data Using Smart Health RM, Engagency, and Future Services

Enables Contakt World mission to improve health equity and reduce disparities in the fight against Covid-19 and all diseases via award-winning SaaS platform

This document corrects and updates the final paragraph in the body of this news release. No other changes were required in this release.

News Provided by Newsfile via QuoteMedia

Keep reading...Show less

Latest Press Releases

Related News

×