To support the development and commercialization of a novel immunotherapy, biopharmaceutical company TG Therapeutics has signed a deal to license MaxCyte’s Flow Electroporation® technology and ExPERT™ platform.
Under the terms of the agreement, the company will have nonexclusive research, clinical, and commercial rights to use MaxCyte’s electroporation technology. For their part, MaxCyte will receive annual licensing fees and program-related revenue.
TG Therapeutics is focused on acquiring, developing, and commercializing novel treatments for B-cell diseases. Its portfolio includes azercabtagene zapreleucel (azer-cel), an allogenic CD19 CAR T cell therapy for treating autoimmune diseases and other non-oncology indications developed by Precision BioSciences. TG signed an agreement with the gene-editing company last year and acquired a worldwide license to the investigational allogeneic therapy. It has since received clearance from the FDA for an Investigational New Drug application for azer-cel in progressive forms of multiple sclerosis. The company intends to launch a Phase I trial for the treatment this year.
Commenting on the agreement, Maher Masoud, MaxCyte’s president and CEO noted, “Our technology has been integral to the manufacturing of allogeneic T cell immunotherapies and was efficiently transferred from Precision BioSciences when TG Therapeutics obtained global rights for azer-cel.” Through the partnership with TG, MaxCyte will “continue to support the development of azer-cel to expand the application to autoimmune diseases,” he added.
The partnership with TG Therapeutics is one of several inked by MaxCyte in recent years. Last May, MaxCyte granted Legend Biotech a nonexclusive worldwide license to use its electroporation technology to develop and commercialize cell-based therapeutic products. Before that, MaxCyte signed a similar deal with Walking Fish Therapeutics centered on B cell-based therapeutics.
