AbbVie will utilize Caribou’s next generation Cas12a CRISPR hybrid RNA-DNA (chRDNA) genome editing and cell therapy technology to develop two new CAR-T cell therapies directed to targets specified by AbbVie, and to which the biopharma will have exclusive rights.

The deal also gives AbbVie the option to include another two CAR-T cell therapies for an additional fee.

AbbVie explained that although allogeneic, “off-the-shelf” CAR-T cell therapies have shown early promise in some cancer patients, the need for overcoming the rejection of these therapies by the host immune system remains a key challenge to their broader development.

Consequently, employing Caribou’s CRISPR genome editing platform to engineer CAR-T cells to withstand host immune attack would, it said, enable the development of next-generation “off-the-shelf” cellular therapies to benefit a broader patient population.

Under the terms of the transaction, AbbVie will pay $40 million in cash up front and take an equity stake in Caribou, which is also eligible to receive up to $300 million in future development, regulatory and launch milestones. The California biotech may also receive additional payments for commercial milestones and global tiered royalties.

“We believe AbbVie is an ideal partner for Caribou as we expand upon the number of targets and diseases addressable by our technologies. Genome-edited CAR-T cell therapies hold tremendous potential for patients, and this partnership accelerates our ability to address significant unmet medical need,” said Caribou’s president and CEO Rachel Haurwitz.

Outside of the partnership with AbbVie, Caribou is advancing several cell therapies for oncology. Its lead allogeneic CAR-T cell program CB-010 targets the CD19 gene and is undergoing a Phase 1 clinical trial for patients with relapsed/refractory B cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Caribou’s second allogeneic CAR-T cell therapy targets the B Cell Maturation Antigen (BCMA) for multiple myeloma, while its third such therapy targets the CD371 gene for acute myeloid leukemia. Both of these investigational therapies are in preclinical development.

In addition, Caribou is developing allogeneic natural killer cell therapies derived from induced pluripotent stem cells for treating solid tumors.

Author: Elaine Burridge, Freelance Journalist