MENLO PARK, Calif. and SAN DIEGO, May 22, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Teneobio, Inc. and Poseida Therapeutics, Inc. today announced that they have entered a commercial license agreement for the use of Teneobio’s UniDabs™, single-domain, human heavy chain only antibodies in Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy. Under the terms of the agreement Poseida has commercial rights to UniDabs™ against a cancer specific antigen for its proprietary CAR T-cell therapy programs. Teneobio will receive an upfront payment, potential clinical milestones and royalties on commercial sales world-wide. Financial terms were not disclosed.
According to Wim van Schooten, CSO of Teneobio, “This agreement further validates the utility of UniDabs™ in CAR T-cell therapy. In the last year, we have made excellent progress in identifying and advancing UniAbs™, best-in-class human heavy chain only antibodies from our proprietary UniRat® transgenic platform, for bi- and multi-specific antibody therapeutics with great manufacturability. Ultimately, the greater specificity of bi- and multivalent CARs will enable the pursuit of solid tumor CAR T-cell therapy.”
Eric Ostertag, CEO of Poseida added “We are looking forward to working with Teneobio’s UniDab™ technology, which shares many of the advantages with and will complement the Centyrin™ technology that we previously licensed from Janssen. When combined with our industry-leading piggyBac™ Gene Delivery System and NextGEN™ CRISPR technology, UniDabs™ may become a key component of our wholly-owned allogeneic CAR-T program, which has shown exceptional results in preclinical studies.
About Teneobio, Inc.
Teneobio, Inc. is a biotechnology company developing a new class of biologics, Human Heavy Chain Antibodies (UniAbs™), for the treatments of cancer, autoimmunity, and infectious diseases. Teneobio's discovery platform, TeneoSeek, comprises genetically engineered animals (UniRat® and OmniFlic®), next-generation sequencing, bioinformatics and high-throughput vector assembly technologies. TeneoSeek rapidly identifies large numbers of unique binding molecules specific for therapeutic targets of interest. Versatile antibody variable domains (UniDabs™) derived from UniAbs™ can be assembled into multi-specific and multivalent therapeutic proteins, surpassing limitations of conventional antibody therapeutics. Teneobio’s “plug-and-play” T-cell engaging platform includes a diverse set of anti-CD3 antibodies for therapeutics with optimal efficacy and reduced toxicity.
For more information, contact Omid Vafa at ovafa@teneobio.com or visit www.teneobio.com
About Poseida Therapeutics, Inc.
Poseida Therapeutics is translating best-in-class gene editing technologies into lifesaving treatments. The company is developing CAR T-cell immunotherapies for multiple myeloma and other cancer types, as well as gene therapies for orphan diseases. Poseida has assembled a suite of industry-leading gene editing technologies, including the piggyBac™ DNA Modification System, XTN™ TALEN and NextGEN™ CRISPR site-specific nucleases, and Footprint-Free™ Gene Editing.
For more information, visit www.poseida.com.