Autolus is among the sea of biotechs seeking to improve on first-generation T-cell therapies but has hit bumps in the road, leading to a 20% reduction in staff and the hunt for a partner on a drug candidate earlier this year. But now, the company has the validation of a deal with a high-profile partner.
Moderna has signed on to leverage Autolus' technology in its mRNA therapies against four immuno-oncology targets.
Recognizing that the so-called binders that enable selective targeting of cancer cells are critical to the success of T-cell therapies, Autolus has worked to optimize its binders or otherwise set them apart from the immuno-oncology pack.
Moderna is set to pay an upfront fee of an undisclosed size for each target it licenses. Autolus is also in line to pocket milestones, for both development and commercial events, and royalties on net sales, again of undisclosed size.
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In the case of lead candidate AUTO1, Autolus’ work has resulted in a CD19 binder that has a fast off-rate, the term used to describe how quickly a drug leaves a binding site. Autolus has early clinical evidence that the fast off-rate results in reduced cytokine release syndrome.
Moderna has identified Autolus’ binder capabilities as a good fit for its cancer ambitions. The mRNA specialist is already working on a clutch of cancer vaccines and intratumoral immuno-oncology drugs, including an OX40L prospect and a Merck-partnered personalized vaccine that are in phase 2.
Adding targeting entities to the surface of lipid nanoparticles could enable the targeting of mRNA to specific cells, thereby improving the risk-benefit profile of the therapeutic. Moderna currently uses intratumoral delivery to get its OX40L prospect and two phase 1 candidates to target cells.