MaxCyte and Wugen Sign Strategic Platform License to Expedite Scale-Up of Clinical and Commercial Manufacturing of Wugen’s Investigational Allogeneic, Off-the-Shelf Cell Therapies for Cancers
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Insights
The strategic platform license (SPL) between MaxCyte, Inc. and Wugen, Inc. represents a collaborative effort to enhance the development and commercialization of cell-based therapies for cancer treatment. This partnership signifies a potentially transformative impact on the biotechnology sector, particularly in the niche of cell engineering and cancer therapeutics.
From a market perspective, the agreement could lead to a diversification of MaxCyte's revenue streams through annual license fees and program-related revenue. This diversification is critical as it reduces the company's reliance on any single product or service. Additionally, the partnership with Wugen, which is working on cutting-edge therapies, might increase investor confidence in MaxCyte's growth potential and technological leadership in the field of cell engineering.
The deal also highlights the trend of collaborations in the biotech industry, aimed at pooling resources and expertise to accelerate the development of novel treatments. Such partnerships often lead to synergistic benefits, including shared risk, combined expertise and potential for enhanced innovation.
The financial implications of the SPL between MaxCyte and Wugen are multifaceted. For MaxCyte, the agreement represents a steady income stream through both fixed annual license fees and variable program-related revenue, which is contingent on the progress and success of Wugen's clinical programs. This structure aligns MaxCyte's financial incentives with the clinical success of Wugen's therapies, potentially enhancing MaxCyte's financial stability and growth prospects.
For investors, the key points of interest will likely be the potential for long-term revenue growth and the impact on MaxCyte's profitability. The SPL could contribute to an increase in the company's valuation if the market perceives this partnership as a step towards securing a foothold in the promising field of cell-based cancer therapies. Furthermore, the scalability and efficiency offered by MaxCyte's ExPERT™ platform may be seen as a competitive advantage that could lead to additional partnerships, further expanding the company's market reach.
The clinical and medical relevance of the partnership is rooted in the advancement of Wugen's cell therapies using MaxCyte's Flow Electroporation® technology and ExPERT™ platform. This technology is crucial for the development of Wugen's off-the-shelf memory natural killer (NK) and CAR-T cell therapies, which have the potential to revolutionize cancer treatment by offering more accessible and potentially more effective options compared to patient-specific therapies.
The clinical progress of Wugen's lead program, WU-CART-007, is particularly noteworthy. The therapy has been granted Orphan Drug, Fast Track and Rare Pediatric Disease Designations by the FDA, indicating its potential to address unmet medical needs in relapsed or refractory T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia and lymphoblastic lymphoma. The successful application of MaxCyte's technology in this context could have significant implications for the treatment landscape of hematologic and solid tumor cancers, potentially improving patient outcomes and altering standard care protocols.
Wugen to use MaxCyte’s Flow Electroporation® technology and ExPERT™ platform to support its programs for hematologic and solid tumor cancers
ROCKVILLE, Md. and ST. LOUIS, Jan. 30, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MaxCyte, Inc., (Nasdaq: MXCT; LSE: MXCT), a leading cell-engineering focused company providing enabling platform technologies to advance the discovery, development and commercialization of next-generation cell-based therapeutics and innovative bioprocessing applications, and Wugen, Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing allogeneic, off-the-shelf cell therapies to treat a broad range of hematological and solid tumor malignancies, today announced the signing of a strategic platform license (SPL).
Under the terms of the agreement, Wugen gains non-exclusive clinical and commercial rights to use MaxCyte’s Flow Electroporation® technology and ExPERT™ platform. In return, MaxCyte will receive annual license fees and program-related revenue.
Wugen is developing the next generation of off-the-shelf memory natural killer (NK) and CAR-T cell therapies for cancer. The company’s investigational cell therapies originate from healthy donors and are further engineered to enhance their function of eliminating cancer cells. Wugen’s lead program is evaluating WU-CART-007, a CD7 targeted CAR-T cell therapy, in a global Phase 1/2 clinical trial for the treatment of relapsed or refractory (R/R) T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL)/lymphoblastic lymphoma (LBL) in adolescent and adult patients. WU-CART-007 has received Orphan Drug, Fast Track, and Rare Pediatric Disease Designations from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of R/R T-ALL/LBL. Additional information is available on clinicaltrials.gov, identifier NCT# 04984356.
“As WU-CART-007 is transferred onto the ExPERT platform and continues to progress in the clinic, we are able to support efficient and seamless expansion to large-scale manufacturing,” said Maher Masoud, President and CEO of MaxCyte. “By working with MaxCyte, Wugen can maximize the number of doses in each manufacturing run for later stage clinical development and potential commercial phase.”
“Our partnership with MaxCyte is an exciting step in advancing our groundbreaking therapies for difficult-to-treat cancers,” said Kumar Srinivasan, PhD, MBA, President and CEO of Wugen. “This collaboration brings us even closer to delivering life-saving treatments to patients with limited options. With MaxCyte's expertise, we're in a position to expedite progress through crucial development stages and make a significant impact on patients’ lives.”
MaxCyte’s ExPERT™ instrument portfolio represents the next generation of clinically validated electroporation technology for complex and scalable cell engineering. Offering high transfection efficiency, seamless scalability, and enhanced functionality, the ExPERT™ platform is crucial for enabling the next wave of biological and cellular therapeutics. Wugen is MaxCyte’s 26th clinical/commercial partnership overall, each of which generates pre-commercial milestone revenue, the vast majority of which includes sales-based payments.
About MaxCyte
At MaxCyte, we pursue cell engineering excellence to maximize the potential of cells to improve patients’ lives. We have spent more than 20 years honing our expertise by building best-in-class platforms, perfecting the art of the transfection workflow, and venturing beyond today’s processes to innovate tomorrow’s solutions. Our ExPERT™ platform, which is based on our Flow Electroporation® technology, has been designed to support the rapidly expanding cell therapy market and can be utilized across the continuum of the high-growth cell therapy sector, from discovery and development through commercialization of next-generation, cell-based medicines. The ExPERT family of products includes: four instruments, the ATx™, STx™, GTx™ and VLx ™; a portfolio of proprietary related processing assemblies or disposables; and software protocols, all supported by a robust worldwide intellectual property portfolio. By providing our partners with the right technology platform, as well as scientific, technical and regulatory support, we aim to guide them on their journey to transform human health. Learn more at maxcyte.com and follow us on X (formerly Twitter) and LinkedIn.
About Wugen
Wugen, Inc. is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing the next generation of off-the-shelf memory natural killer (NK) and CAR-T cell therapies for cancer. Wugen is leveraging its proprietary Moneta™ platform and deep genomic engineering expertise to pioneer a new class of memory NK cell therapies to treat hematological and solid tumor malignancies. For more information, please visit https://wugen.com/
MaxCyte Contacts:
US IR Adviser
Gilmartin Group
David Deuchler, CFA
+1 415-937-5400
ir@maxcyte.com
US Media Relations
Spectrum Seismic Collaborative
Valerie Enes
+1 408-497-8568
venes@spectrumscience.com
Nominated Adviser and Joint Corporate Broker
Panmure Gordon
Emma Earl / Freddy Crossley
Corporate Broking
Rupert Dearden
+44 (0)20 7886 2500
UK IR Adviser
ICR Consilium
Mary-Jane Elliott
Chris Welsh
+44 (0)203 709 5700
maxcyte@consilium-comms.com
Wugen Contacts:
Investor Contact
Mark Lewis
+1 314-501-1968
Mlewis@wugen.com
Media Contact
Christine Fanelle
Scient PR
+1 215-595-5211
christine@scientpr.com
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