- BioNTech and Autolus announce a strategic collaboration to advance their autologous CAR-T programs towards commercialisation.
- BioNTech invests $200 million in Autolus, securing the right to utilize Autolus’ manufacturing capacity.
BioNTech, a next-generation immunotherapy company, and Autolus Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, announced a strategic collaboration on February 8, 2024. The collaboration aims to advance both companies’ autologous CAR-T programs towards commercialisation, pending regulatory authorisations.
The strategic alliance leverages manufacturing and commercial infrastructure as well as technology with the aim to advance both companies’ autologous CAR-T programs towards market. As part of the collaboration, BioNTech secures the right to utilise Autolus’ manufacturing capacity in a cost-efficient set-up to accelerate the development of BNT211 into pivotal trials in CLDN6+ tumors.
Prof. Ugur Sahin, M.D., CEO and Co-Founder of BioNTech, said, “The collaboration with Autolus enables us to expand our BNT211 program into trials for multiple cancer indications in a cost-efficient way. Autolus’ state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities’ set-up for clinical and commercial supply will enhance our own capacities in addition to our existing U.S. supply network and the ongoing expansion of our site in Gaithersburg, Maryland.”
The collaboration also grants BioNTech access to Autolus’ precise cell targeting tools to further support BioNTech’s development of in vivo cell therapy and antibody-drug conjugate candidates. Dr. Christian Itin, CEO of Autolus, sees a remarkable opportunity to leverage their core capabilities, accelerate pipeline programs, realise cost-efficiencies and expand opportunities beyond autologous cell therapies.
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