Astellas continues to build-out immuno-oncology pipeline via Kelonia deal

Astellas Expands Immuno-Oncology Pipeline through Collaboration with Kelonia Therapeutics: Accelerating iGPS-Based CAR-T Cell Therapies

Astellas Pharma Inc., a global pharmaceutical company, has announced a strategic partnership with Kelonia Therapeutics to develop novel immuno-oncology treatments. This agreement is focused on combining Kelonia's innovative in vivo gene placement system (iGPS®) with Astellas' subsidiary Xyphos Biosciences' ACCEL™ convertible CAR technology platform.

Under this collaboration, Astellas' Xyphos Biosciences will provide the ACCEL™ technology, a synthetic biology approach with a convertible CAR (chimeric antigen receptor) system designed for immune cell therapies. Kelonia Therapeutics, with its iGPS® precision gene delivery technology, aims to create next-generation universal, off-the-shelf in vivo CAR-T cell therapies for hematologic cancers and beyond.

Key Details:

- Xyphos will pay Kelonia an initial US $40 million for the first program, with an additional US $35 million for the optioned second program.
- The deal includes potential milestones and contingency payments that could reach US $800 million in total.
- Kelonia will also receive research and development (R&D) funding, plus tiered royalties on net sales.

Astellas, dedicated to developing novel treatments for cancer, sees the combination of the two platforms as a critical step in expanding its Immuno-Oncology pipeline and advancing towards treatment options for patients with cancer.

This strategic collaboration strengthens Astellas' commitment within its Focus Area Approach, a framework that guides the company's research and development strategy, aiming to address unmet medical needs in various therapy areas.

For clarity, suggested title:
"Astellas and Kelonia Unite to Advance Immuno-Oncology Pipeline with Innovative iGPS-CAR-T Cell Platform"