Sanofi reaches nearly $1 billion partnership to build new NK cell/CD38 antibody portfolio

Natural killer cells are the body's first line of defense against cancer and infectionAntibodies work in synergy with NK cells to kill tumor cells, a process called antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC)However, because NK cells express CD38 antigens on the surface, treating multiple myeloma with anti-CD38 antibodies (such as Sarclisa) can simultaneously deplete the patient's own NK cellsKiadis' K-NK004 therapy is resistant to CD38 targeted therapy by genetically engineering NK cells to prevent the expression of CD38The auxiliary infusion of NK cells from CD38 will re-establish the natural synergy between NK cells and antibodies, kill tumor cells and optimize efficacyas part of the agreementkiadis research and development pipeline (photo: Kiadis), Kiadis will receive an advance payment of EUR 17.5 million and the right to receive follow-up payments of up to EUR 857.5 million (totalling nearly US$1 billion) when Sanofi achieves pre-clinical, clinical, regulatory and commercial milestonesKiadis will also receive a share of sales of approved products developed under this Agreementnote, this strategy of genetically engineering to remove specific antigens from healthy cells and protect them from anticancer-targeted therapies is also being used by other companiesVor Biopharma, which uses a similar strategy to develop cancer therapy, yesterday announced a $110m round B financingThe core technology comes from DrSiddhartha Mukherjee, author of the best-selling book The King of Disease and CancerReferences:Retrieved July 8, 2020, fromOriginal Title: Sanofi Reaches Nearly $1 Billion Partnership to Build a New Nk Cell/CD38 Antibody Anticancer Portfolio