BioNTech to acquire R&D program and production site from Kite

German biotech BioNTech (Nasdaq: BNTX) has entered into a purchase agreement to acquire Gilead Sciences’ (Nasdaq: GILD) subsidiary Kite’s solid tumor neoantigen T cell receptor (TCR) R&D platform and clinical manufacturing facility in Gaithersburg, Maryland.

BioNTech has largely been in the news because of its development of the Comirnaty/BNT162b2 COVID-19 vaccine, in partnership with US pharma giant Pfizer (NYSE: PFE), which generated sales of around $3 billion for the German firm in the first quarter of this year. However, BioNTech also has a broad portfolio of oncology candidates, including individualized and off-the-shelf mRNA-based therapies, as well as innovative immuno-oncology treatments, targeted cancer antibodies and small molecules.

The acquired Gaithersburg facility will provide production capacity to support clinical trials in the USA and will complement BioNTech’s existing cell therapy manufacturing facility in Idar-Oberstein, Germany. The facility will support the development of BioNTech’s expanding pipeline of novel cell therapies, including cancer product candidates based on its CAR-T Cell amplifying mRNA vaccine (CARVac) and NEOSTIM platforms as well as the newly acquired individualized neoantigen TCR program.