Kite and Appia Bio partner on allogeneic cell therapies

5 August 2021

The Kite unit of US biotech major Gilead Sciences (Nasdaq: GILD) has signed a collaboration and license agreement with Appia Bio, an early-stage biotech, to research and develop HSC-derived cell therapies directed toward hematological malignancies.

Under the partnership, Kite and Appia Bio will develop chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-engineered invariant natural killer T (CAR-iNKT) cells using Appia Bio’s ACUA technology platform for allogeneic cell therapy.

Founded in 2020, Appia Bio recently announced the completion of its Series A financing to support the advancement of the company’s pipeline of allogeneic CAR-iNKT cell therapy candidates into the clinic. With its ACUA technology platform, Appia Bio leverages the biology of lymphocyte development to generate CAR-iNKT cells from HSCs. The ACUA platform offers the potential for improved efficacy and safety, streamlined manufacturing, and off-the-shelf accessibility of HSC-derived CAR iNKT-cell therapies.

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