- Through Pfizer Ignite, Acepodia will gain access to Pfizer's
resources, scale and expertise as the company broadens the
application of its platform beyond oncology into autoimmune
diseases
- Pfizer Ignite will also provide strategic advisory support for
Acepodia's ongoing clinical programs, ACE1831 in NHL and ACE2016 in
solid tumors
- Acepodia's lead ACC platform therapy has shown clinical
benefits in oncology without the limitations of current CAR-T cell
therapies
ALAMEDA,
Calif. and TAIPEI,
Sept. 3,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Acepodia (6976:TT), a
clinical-stage biotechnology company developing first-in-class cell
therapies with its unique Antibody-Cell Conjugation (ACC) and
allogeneic gamma delta 2 (γδ2) T cell platforms, announced
today that it has entered a strategic clinical collaboration with
Pfizer Ignite to support the development of its therapies in
autoimmune diseases. Pfizer Ignite is an end-to-end offering that
leverages Pfizer's significant resources, scale, and expertise,
alongside a proven track record in the development of
breakthroughs, to support biotechs seeking to accelerate their
innovations from preclinical R&D through the development
lifecycle. Under this new agreement, Pfizer Ignite will provide
strategic guidance and resources to Acepodia as the company
develops its cell therapies for oncology and autoimmune
diseases.
Acepodia's ACC platform, which uses bioorthogonal chemistry and
is based on the pioneering work of 2022 Nobel laureate
Dr. Carolyn Bertozzi, who applied click chemistry to living
systems, creates an off-the-shelf, non-genetically engineered
version of CAR-T cell therapy that is more easily scaled and avoids
cytokine release storms, neurotoxicity, and other side effects
associated with CAR-T cell therapies. Acepodia's lead clinical
candidate, ACE1831, is currently being evaluated in a Phase 1
first-in-human clinical trial for patients with non-Hodgkin's
lymphoma and has demonstrated a robust and durable effect after a
single treatment at the lowest dose.
"The significant unmet needs that exist in autoimmune diseases
combined with the early positive results that have been seen with
CAR-T therapies have opened the door for potential innovations that
could provide the efficacy of CAR-T therapy without the challenges
that have made routine use of CAR-T in autoimmune diseases
difficult," said Sonny Hsiao, Ph.D.,
chief executive officer of Acepodia. "We see a significant
opportunity to bring the benefits of our ACC platform to autoimmune
diseases, and working with Pfizer Ignite will position us well to
deliver our immunotherapies to patients in desperate need of new
options."
By collaborating with Pfizer Ignite, Acepodia will benefit from
Pfizer's resources, deep expertise and R&D capabilities,
covering multiple stages such as clinical trial design and
regulatory strategies to improve the process of developing
innovative drugs.
"Pfizer Ignite is focused on supporting the delivery of
innovative therapies that are strategically aligned with Pfizer's
priority areas and have the potential to address significant gaps
in patient care, " said Kathy
Fernando, SVP, Head of Pfizer Ignite. "Drawing on Pfizer's
deep expertise in oncology and immunology, we look forward to
collaborating with Acepodia to help translate their compelling
scientific platform into impactful new medicines for patients with
unmet need."
With the agreement, Acepodia will retain all rights related to
the progress of the program and future partnership
opportunities.
About Acepodia
Acepodia is a clinical-stage biotechnology company
developing first-in-class cell therapies with its unique
Antibody-Cell Conjugation (ACC) platform technology to address gaps
in cancer care. Leveraging its ACC technology, the company links
tumor-targeting antibodies to its proprietary immune cells, such as
natural killer and gamma delta T cells, to create novel ACE
therapies, which have increased binding strength against tumors
that express low levels of tumor antigens.
Acepodia is composed of seasoned leaders and scientific experts
dedicated to advancing its robust pipeline of ACE therapies with
the potential to bring innovative, effective, and affordable cell
therapies to a broad population of patients across a variety of
solid tumors and hematologic cancers. For more information,
visit www.acepodia.com and follow Acepodia
on Twitter and LinkedIn.
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SOURCE Acepodia Inc.