TOKYO & BOSTON — Alloy Therapeutics Inc. (“Alloy”), a biotechnology ecosystem company dedicated to democratizing access to cutting edge drug discovery technologies, announced today a strategic collaboration and license agreement with Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited (TSE:4502/NYSE:TAK “Takeda”) to develop Takeda’s proprietary induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) derived CAR-T cell platform (iCAR-T) and iPSC-derived CAR-NK platform (iCAR-NK). Alloy will focus on accelerating the development of key therapies to overcome solid and hematological malignancies.
iCAR-T technology was developed as part of the T-CiRA joint research program between Takeda and the Center for iPS Research and Application (CiRA) at Kyoto University. The core technology to differentiate iPSC into immune cells originates from CiRA’s Shin Kaneko’s laboratory. iCAR-T has potential to develop ‘off-the-shelf’ cell therapies, offering the potential for best-in-class performance with enhanced potency, and significantly lower manufacturing costs compared to autologous cell therapy.
“iCAR-T is one of our flagship projects graduating from T-CiRA, our decade-long joint research program between Takeda and CiRA. This agreement between Takeda and Alloy aims to advance iCAR-T from discovery to clinical development,” said Yasushi Kajii, Head of R&D Japan Region at Takeda. “We are impressed with Alloy’s corporate culture of valuing platform technologies, flexibility in collaboration, patient-centric mindset, and company creation abilities, all of which were key elements to our decision to work with Alloy. We look forward to seeing iCAR-T and iCAR-NK blossom as the technology advances to its next phase.”
Under the agreement, Alloy gains co-exclusive rights to commercialize iCAR-T and iCAR-NK products for oncology indications. Alloy will leverage synergies across its unique business model to further advance the iCAR-T/NK platform while enabling broader access to the technology for biotech and pharma partners to develop therapies for cancers including solid tumors. Future clinical validation and platform enhancements will further strengthen the platform.
“We are honored and excited to be chosen by Takeda to collaborate in fulfilling the promise of iPSC,” said Errik Anderson, Founder, Chairman & CEO of Alloy. “This is another instance of how Alloy’s flexible approach allows us to enable the global scientific community with cutting edge technologies designed for rapid, successful drug development. We believe a robust engagement with the ecosystem will play a critical role in unlocking the vast potential of iPSC and enabling the next generation of cancer therapeutics.”
To support these efforts, Alloy is establishing a Japanese subsidiary at Shonan Health Innovation Park in Kanagawa Prefecture, to be led by Victor Stone (Yoshihide Ishii) as the Head of Alloy Cell Therapies and Alloy Therapeutics Japan.
About Alloy Therapeutics
Alloy Therapeutics is a biotechnology ecosystem company empowering the global scientific community to make better medicines together. Through a community of partners across academia, biotech, and the largest biopharma, Alloy democratizes access to pre-competitive tools, technologies, services, and company creation capabilities that are foundational for discovering and developing therapeutic biologics across six modalities: antibodies, TCRs, genetic medicines, peptides, cell therapies, and drug delivery. Partners may access all current and future technologies through a discovery service relationship or for a flat fee through Alloy’s Innovation Subscriptions offering.
About Takeda
Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited is a global biopharmaceutical leader headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. It is one of the world’s oldest and largest pharmaceutical companies. It is committed to discovering and delivering life-transforming treatments, focusing on four key therapeutic areas: oncology, rare diseases, neuroscience, and gastroenterology, with additional capabilities in plasma-derived therapies and vaccines.
