Kite, part of Gilead Sciences, and Shoreline Biosciences, a San Diego, California-based company developing allogeneic cellular immunotherapies for cancer and other diseases, have entered into a strategic partnership, worth up to $2.3-billion, to develop allogeneic cell therapies across a variety of cancer targets.

Shoreline develops allogeneic (i.e., off-the-shelf) standardized and targeted natural killer (NK) and macrophage cellular immunotherapies derived from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) for cancer and other diseases. The collaboration will use Shoreline’s expertise in iPSC differentiation and genetic reprogramming in combination with Kite’s cell-therapy development, commercialization, and manufacturing expertise to develop allogeneic candidates for hematologic malignancies. The collaboration will focus initially on chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) NK targets, with Kite having an option to expand the collaboration to include an iPSC CAR macrophage program for an undisclosed target to be selected post-deal execution.

Under the agreement, Shoreline will receive an upfront payment and will be eligible to receive additional payments totaling over $2.3 billion as well as royalties based on achievement of certain development and commercial milestones. This agreement follows Kite’s investment in Shoreline’s recent Series A financing.

Source: Gilead Sciences and Shoreline Biosciences