Bayer and Atara have reached a $670 million partnership to develop cell immunotherapy

On December 6, Bayer and Atara Biotherapeutics, Inc., announced an exclusive global licensing agreement for the joint development of a mesotheliotic-oriented CAR-T cell therapy solid tumor project.
is a tumor-specific antigen that is usually expressed at high levels on the cellular surfaces of many invasive solid tumors, including mesothelioma, non-small cell lung cancer, ovarian cancer, and pancreatic cancer.
According to the agreement, it consists mainly of the development of two candidate drugs: ATA3271, an enhanced allogeneic T-cell immunotherapy, and the autologous drug ATA2271, a drug used to treat mesothelioma and mesothelioma and non-small cell lung cancer.
Atara has the industry's leading iso-cell manufacturing process and CAR-T (embedded antigen-subject T-cell) technology.
these two licensed technologies are primarily based on Atara's new proprietary Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) T-cell platform, which combines CAR-T technology to target intercellular mesothytin to improve the effectiveness, safety and durability of the response.
the deal is a strategic choice for Bayer to build a new division of cell and gene therapy.
to expand its business in cell and gene therapy, Bayer is strengthening its internal capacity in C.GT.
, Bayer is also looking for external strategic partnerships, technology acquisitions and licensing to build powerful platforms with a wide range of applications in different therapeutic areas.
Bayer's selected cell and gene therapy focuses on stem cell therapy (focusing on induced pluripotent cells or iPSC), gene amplification, gene editing, and isotopic cell therapy.
Therefore, this partnership with Atara not only leverages the company's allogeneic cell therapy platform to strengthen its development capabilities, but also strengthens its emerging leadership in the field, making it more difficult to treat cancer patients with potentially usable CAR-T cell therapies.
terms of the agreement, Atara will lead the new drug research (IND) and process development of ATA3271, while Bayer will be responsible for submitting new drug applications and subsequent clinical development and commercialization.
addition, Atara will continue to be responsible for the ongoing Phase I clinical study of ATA2271, which has now been submitted for IND and clinical trials have been initiated.
Atara will receive an advance of $60 million for the cost of the partnership, and if Bayer goes well in development, regulation and commercialization, Atara will be eligible for milestone payments totalling $610 million and a phased increase of up to double-digit percentages of net sales at a later stage.
, as part of the deal, Atara will also offer conversion and clinical manufacturing services at Bayer's expense.
addition, Bayer has non-exclusive rights for a limited period of time to negotiate licenses for other Atara's CAR-T candidate products.
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