Celyad partners with Horizon on shRNA technology

Belgian clinical-stage biotech firm Celyad (Euronext: CYAD) has entered into an exclusive agreement with the UK’s Horizon Discovery (LSE: HZD), for the use of its shRNA technology to generate Celyad’s second non-gene-edited allogeneic platform.

Celyad recently announced its first-in-class non-gene edited allogeneic CAR-T candidate, CYAD-101 a non-gene-edited allogeneic NKG2D-based CAR using the TIM (TCR Inhibiting Molecule). As a result of the agreement with Horizon Discovery, Celyad now also has access to a novel shRNA-based platform. Financial terms of the collaboration were not disclosed.

Data from preclinical studies demonstrating the versatility of the shRNA platform in the allogeneic setting, will be presented at the upcoming 2018 Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) Annual Meeting in Washington DC, November 7–11. These promising preclinical data will pave the way for the next steps in the development of Celyad’s differentiated non-gene edited allogeneic approach to CAR-T cell therapy.