Kite and HiFiBiO Therapeutics enter collaboration on T-cell receptors

In a second major deal signed this year, biotech firm HiFiBiO Therapeutics has entered into a research collaboration and license agreement with Gilead Sciences (Nasdaq: GILD) company Kite, to develop technology supporting the discovery of neoantigen-reactive T cell receptors (TCRs) for the potential treatment of various cancers, including solid tumors.

Kite and HiFiBiO, which has bases in Hong Kong, France and the USA, intend to adapt HiFiBiO’s proprietary single cell technology platform to create a high throughput approach that will potentially allow for the in-depth screening of TCR repertoires from patient samples to identify shared antigen and neoantigen TCRs for use in adoptive cellular therapies. Neoantigens arise from tumor-specific mutations that are unique to each patient’s cancer, offering the potential for more targeted antitumor activity.

Under the terms of the agreement, HiFiBiO will receive a $10 million upfront payment and will be eligible for additional payments based on the achievement of certain research milestones. Kite will have an exclusive option to license HiFiBiO’s platform to screen T cell repertoires and to identify TCRs for use in TCR engineered T cell therapies with a corresponding payment to HiFiBiO.