CRISPR Therapeutics (NASDAQ: CRSP), a biopharmaceutical company
focused on developing transformative gene-based medicines for
serious diseases, and Nkarta, Inc. (NASDAQ: NKTX), a
biopharmaceutical company developing engineered NK cell therapies
to treat cancer, today announced a strategic partnership to
research, develop, and commercialize CRISPR/Cas9 gene-edited cell
therapies for cancer.
Under the agreement, the companies will
co-develop and co-commercialize two CAR NK cell product candidates,
one targeting the CD70 tumor antigen and the other target to be
determined. In addition, the companies will bring together their
complementary cell therapy engineering and manufacturing
capabilities to advance the development of a novel NK+T product
candidate harnessing the synergies of the adaptive and innate
immune systems. Finally, Nkarta obtains a license to CRISPR gene
editing technology to edit five gene targets in an unlimited number
of its own NK cell therapy products.
CRISPR Therapeutics and Nkarta will equally
share all research and development costs and profits worldwide
related to the collaboration products. For each non-collaboration
product candidate incorporating a gene editing target licensed from
CRISPR Therapeutics, Nkarta will retain worldwide rights and pay
CRISPR Therapeutics milestones and royalties on net sales. The
agreement includes a three-year exclusivity period between CRISPR
Therapeutics and Nkarta covering the research, development, and
commercialization of allogeneic, gene-edited, donor-derived NK
cells and NK+T cells.
“By bringing together CRISPR Therapeutics’ and
Nkarta’s highly complementary expertise and proprietary platforms
we plan to accelerate the development of potentially groundbreaking
genome engineered NK cell therapies,” said Samarth Kulkarni, Ph.D.,
Chief Executive Officer at CRISPR Therapeutics. “This collaboration
broadens the scope of our efforts in oncology cell therapy, and
expands our efforts to discover and develop novel cancer therapies
for patients.”
“Uniting the best-in-class gene editing solution
and allogeneic T cell therapy expertise of CRISPR with Nkarta’s
best-in-class CAR NK cell therapy platform will be a major
advantage to advancing the next wave of transformative cancer cell
therapies,” said Paul J. Hastings, President and Chief Executive
Officer of Nkarta. “With this partnership, Nkarta can
systematically apply world-class gene editing across our entire
pre-clinical pipeline going forward. CRISPR’s deep understanding of
CD70 biology and experience in allogeneic T cell clinical
development can accelerate the development of early-stage Nkarta
programs, to deliver innovative treatments to patients that much
faster.”
Nkarta Conference Call
DetailsNkarta management will host a conference call to
discuss the collaboration today at 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time (ET). The
event will be simultaneously webcast and available for replay from
the Nkarta website at www.nkartatx.com, under the Investors
section. Investors may also participate in the conference call by
calling 877-876-9174 (domestic) or +1-785-424-1669 (international).
The conference ID is NKARTA.
About CRISPR TherapeuticsCRISPR
Therapeutics is a leading gene editing company focused on
developing transformative gene-based medicines for serious diseases
using its proprietary CRISPR/Cas9 platform. CRISPR/Cas9 is a
revolutionary gene editing technology that allows for precise,
directed changes to genomic DNA. CRISPR Therapeutics has
established a portfolio of therapeutic programs across a broad
range of disease areas including hemoglobinopathies, oncology,
regenerative medicine and rare diseases. To accelerate and expand
its efforts, CRISPR Therapeutics has established
strategic collaborations with leading companies
including Bayer, Vertex Pharmaceuticals and ViaCyte,
Inc. CRISPR Therapeutics AG is headquartered in Zug,
Switzerland, with its
wholly-owned U.S. subsidiary, CRISPR Therapeutics,
Inc., and R&D operations based in Cambridge,
Massachusetts, and business offices in San Francisco,
California and London, United Kingdom. For more
information, please visit www.crisprtx.com.
CRISPR THERAPEUTICS® word mark and design logo
are registered trademarks of CRISPR Therapeutics AG. All other
trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their
respective owners.
CRISPR Therapeutics Forward-Looking
StatementThis press release may contain a number of
“forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private
Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended, including
statements made by Dr. Kulkarni and Mr. Hastings in this press
release, as well as statements regarding CRISPR Therapeutics’
expectations about any or all of the following: (i) the future
activities of the parties pursuant to the collaboration and the
expected benefits of CRISPR Therapeutics’ collaboration with
Nkarta; and (ii) the therapeutic value, development, and commercial
potential of CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing technologies and therapies.
Without limiting the foregoing, the words “believes,”
“anticipates,” “plans,” “expects” and similar expressions are
intended to identify forward-looking statements. You are cautioned
that forward-looking statements are inherently uncertain. Although
CRISPR Therapeutics believes that such statements are based on
reasonable assumptions within the bounds of its knowledge of its
business and operations, forward-looking statements are neither
promises nor guarantees and they are necessarily subject to a high
degree of uncertainty and risk. Actual performance and results may
differ materially from those projected or suggested in the
forward-looking statements due to various risks and uncertainties.
These risks and uncertainties include, among others: CRISPR
Therapeutics may not realize the potential benefits of the
collaboration, uncertainties inherent in the initiation and
completion of preclinical studies; availability and timing of
results from preclinical studies; whether results from a
preclinical study will be favorable and predictive of future
results of future studies or clinical trials; uncertainties about
regulatory approvals and that future competitive or other market
factors may adversely affect the commercial potential for product
candidates; potential impacts due to the coronavirus pandemic, such
as the timing and progress of preclinical studies; uncertainties
regarding the intellectual property protection for CRISPR
Therapeutics’ technology and intellectual property belonging to
third parties, and the outcome of proceedings (such as an
interference, an opposition or a similar proceeding) involving all
or any portion of such intellectual property; and those risks and
uncertainties described under the heading "Risk Factors" in CRISPR
Therapeutics’ most recent annual report on Form 10-K, quarterly
report on Form 10-Q, and in any other subsequent filings made by
CRISPR Therapeutics with the U.S. Securities and Exchange
Commission, which are available on the SEC's website at
www.sec.gov. Existing and prospective investors are cautioned not
to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which
speak only as of the date they are made. CRISPR Therapeutics
disclaims any obligation or undertaking to update or revise any
forward-looking statements contained in this press release, other
than to the extent required by law.
About Nkarta’s NK Cell TechnologiesNkarta has
pioneered a novel discovery and development platform for the
engineering and efficient production of allogeneic, off-the-shelf
natural killer (NK) cell therapy candidates. The approach harnesses
the innate ability of NK cells to recognize and kill tumor cells.
To enhance the inherent biological activity of NK cells, Nkarta
genetically engineers the cells with a targeting receptor designed
to recognize and bind to specific proteins on the surface of
cancerous cells. This receptor is fused to co-stimulatory and
signaling domains to amplify cell signaling and NK cell
cytotoxicity. Upon binding the target, NK cells become activated
and release cytokines that enhance the immune response and
cytotoxic granules that lead to killing of the target cell. All of
Nkarta’s NK current cell therapy candidates are also engineered
with a membrane-bound IL15, a proprietary version of a cytokine
known for activating NK cell growth, to enhance the persistence and
activity of the NK cells.
Nkarta’s manufacturing process generates an
abundant supply of NK cells that, at commercial scale, is expected
to be significantly lower in cost than other current allogeneic and
autologous cell therapies. Key to this efficiency is the rapid
expansion of donor-derived NK cells using a proprietary NKSTIM cell
line, leading to the production of hundreds of individual doses
from a single manufacturing run. The platform also features the
ability to freeze and store CAR NK cells for an extended period of
time and is designed to enable immediate, off-the-shelf
administration to patients at the point of care.
About NkartaNkarta is a clinical-stage
biotechnology company advancing the development of allogeneic, off
the shelf natural killer (NK) cell therapies for cancer. By
combining its cell expansion and cryopreservation platform with
proprietary cell engineering technologies, Nkarta is building a
pipeline of cell therapy candidates generated by efficient
manufacturing processes, which are engineered to enhance tumor
targeting and improve persistence for sustained activity in the
body. For more information, please visit www.nkartatx.com.
Nkarta, Inc. Cautionary Note on Forward-Looking
StatementsStatements contained in this press release
regarding matters that are not historical facts are
“forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private
Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended. Words such as
"anticipates," "believes," "expects," "intends," “plans,”
“potential,” "projects,” “would” and "future" or similar
expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements.
Examples of these forward-looking statements include statements
concerning: Nkarta’s expectations regarding its ability to advance
the development and commercialization of two gene-edited CAR-NK
cell therapies and an NK+T cell therapy under the collaboration
with CRISPR Therapeutics, and the ability of Nkarta and CRISPR
Therapeutics to leverage the combination of their respective
expertise and platforms to accelerate that development; Nkarta’s
application of gene-editing across its preclinical pipeline; the
ability of Nkarta’s technology to enhance the persistence and
anti-tumor activity of NK cells and enable off-the-shelf,
point-of-care administration; the efficiency and cost of Nkarta’s
manufacturing processes; the number of doses generated from a
manufacturing run; and the proprietary nature of Nkarta’s
technology. Because such statements are subject to risks and
uncertainties, actual results may differ materially from those
expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These
risks and uncertainties include, among others: Nkarta’s limited
operating history and historical losses; Nkarta’s ability to raise
additional funding to complete the development and any
commercialization of its product candidates; Nkarta’s dependence on
the success of its co-lead product candidates, NKX101 and NKX019;
that Nkarta may be delayed in initiating, enrolling or completing
any clinical trials; competition from third parties that are
developing products for similar uses; Nkarta’s ability to obtain,
maintain and protect its intellectual property; Nkarta’s dependence
on third parties in connection with manufacturing, clinical trials
and pre-clinical studies; the complexity of the manufacturing
process for CAR NK cell therapies; and risks relating to the impact
on Nkarta’s business of the COVID-19 pandemic or similar public
health crises.
These and other risks are described more fully
in Nkarta’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission
(“SEC”), including the “Risk Factors” section of Nkarta’s Annual
Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020, filed
with the SEC on March 25, 20201, and our other documents
subsequently filed with or furnished to the SEC. All
forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak
only as of the date on which they were made. Except to the extent
required by law, Nkarta undertakes no obligation to update such
statements to reflect events that occur or circumstances that exist
after the date on which they were made.
CRISPR Therapeutics Investor Contact:Susan
Kim+1-617-307-7503susan.kim@crisprtx.com
CRISPR Therapeutics Media Contact:Jennifer
PaganelliReal Chemistry on behalf of
CRISPR+1-347-658-8290jpaganelli@realchemistry.com
Nkarta Media/Investor Contact:Greg MannNkarta,
Inc.+1-415-317-3675gmann@nkartatx.com
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