BioNTech and Autolus Collaborate on CAR-T Cell Therapy

BioNTech SE, a next-generation immunotherapy company developing new treatments for cancer and other malignancies, and Autolus Therapeutics plc, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing clinical T-medicine, have entered into a strategic partnership aimed at the development of autologous—a pharmaceutical solution for both companies. The CAR-T program will go to commercialization as soon as it is approved by law. Regarding strategic cooperation, the two companies have signed a license agreement, an option agreement, and a stock purchase agreement.

"Working with Autolus allows us to expand the BNT211 program into clinical trials for multiple cancer indications cost-effectively. Autolus' establishment of a state-of-the-art facility for clinical and commercial distribution will enhance our capabilities, in addition to continued expansion from our US distribution network and our location in Gaithersburg, Maryland,” said Professor Ugur Sahin, MD, CEO and founder of BioNTech.

 “Furthermore, this collaboration grants us access to Autolusand and precise cell targeting tools to further support BioNTech’s development of in vivo cell therapy and antibody-drug conjugate candidates.

“We see a remarkable opportunity to leverage our core capabilities, accelerate pipeline programs, realize cost-efficiencies and expand opportunities beyond autologous cell therapies,” said Dr. Christian Itin, CEO of Autolus.

 “We look forward to investing a portion of the capital raised on delivering on obe-cel’s path in adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia, potentially offering another treatment option for patients with an unmet medical need. This collaboration creates a path for accelerating our respective oncology pipeline programs and broadening the use of Autolus’ technology outside of autologous cell therapy applications.”