BioNTech, a Mainz, Germany-based immunotherapy company, has completed its acquisition of a solid-tumor neoantigen T cell receptor (TCR) R&D platform and clinical manufacturing facility in Gaithersburg, Maryland from Kite, part of Gilead Sciences.

TCR therapy is a type of cellular immunotherapy designed to redirect the patient’s immune system in order to recognize and target tumors. Kite’s neoantigen TCR platform enables the development of individualized TCR therapies that are custom designed to target individual neoantigens on a patient’s tumor.

The acquisition, announced last month (July 2021), strengthens BioNTech’s cell-therapy pipeline by accelerating the individualized solid tumor neoantigen TCR cell therapy research and development program. It also expands the company’s cell-therapy capabilities and manufacturing footprint in North America and builds on the company’s acquisition of Neon Therapeutics, a clinical-stage immuno-oncology company, in 2020.

All Kite employees at the Gaithersburg facility were offered employment with BioNTech prior to closing. The plant will be integrated into BioNTech’s US operations and global manufacturing network.

Source: Gilead Sciences and BioNTech