Editas Medicine, a clinical-stage gene editing firm, has announced a two-year extension of its collaboration with Bristol Myers Squibb. This extension facilitates continued research, development, and potential commercialization of autologous and allogeneic alpha-beta T cell therapies for cancer and autoimmune diseases. The agreement also includes options for extending the collaboration for up to an additional two years.
Bristol Myers Squibb has already opted into 13 programs across 11 gene targets, with two programs currently undergoing IND-enabling studies and four in late-stage discovery.
Linda C. Burkly, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer of Editas Medicine, expressed satisfaction with extending the partnership with Bristol Myers Squibb, a leading player in developing innovative therapies for serious ailments. Burkly emphasized the collaborative effort’s significance in advancing the next generation of allogeneic medicines to combat various common cancers.
Per the original agreement terms, Editas Medicine develops genome editing tools, with Bristol Myers Squibb having rights to opt into these tools for developing gene-edited alpha-beta T cell therapies. Bristol Myers Squibb will make potential future milestone payments to Editas Medicine for each new experimental medicine it develops and commercializes using the opted-into genome editing tools. Editas Medicine stands to receive tiered royalties on net sales post-approval of any products resulting from the collaboration.
The collaboration between Editas Medicine and Juno Therapeutics, Inc. (now part of Bristol Myers Squibb) originated in 2015, focusing on creating CAR T and high-affinity TCR cell therapies for cancer treatment. This collaboration, initially set to expire in 2020, was amended in 2019, allowing Editas Medicine to develop non-alpha-beta T cell therapies while expanding Bristol Myers Squibb’s access to gene-edited alpha-beta T cells beyond oncology. The current extension pushes the research agreement to 2026, with options for further one-year extensions, extending the partnership potentially until 2028.
Editas Medicine, as a clinical-stage gene editing company, aims to harness the potential of CRISPR/Cas12a and CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing systems to develop transformative treatments for serious diseases globally. The company’s focus includes discovering, developing, manufacturing, and commercializing precision genomic medicines for various diseases, leveraging exclusive licenses from Broad Institute for key patents.