Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited and GammaDelta Therapeutics Ltd, a portfolio biopharmaceutical company of the investmenty firm, Abingworth, have formed a strategic collaboration, worth up to $100 million, to develop GammaDelta Therapeutics’ T cell platform, which is based on the properties of gamma delta T cells derived from human tissues. The companies intend to use this platform to discover and develop new immunotherapies with the aim of treating a broad range of cancers, including solid tumors, and autoinflammatory diseases.

Takeda, together with Abingworth, will commit up to $100 million in funding to accelerate GammaDelta Therapeutics-led research and development. The funding includes an equity investment, an option fee, and research and development funding and provides Takeda the exclusive right to purchase GammaDelta Therapeutics. Under the agreement, Takeda will appoint a director to GammaDelta Therapeutics’ board.

GammaDelta Therapeutics was founded in 2016 by Abingworth with support from Cancer Research Technology Limited based on research undertaken by Professor Adrian Hayday and Dr. Oliver Nussbaumer at King’s College London and the Francis Crick Institute. The company’s offices and laboratories are located at the London BioScience Innovation Center in London.

Source: Takeda Pharmaceutical