Kincell Bio Acquires Imugene’s cGMP Facility in Landmark Deal

• Imugene, Ltd. and Kincell Bio have entered a strategic manufacturing and process development partnership.

• Kincell Bio will acquire Imugene’s cGMP compliant cell therapy manufacturing facility in North Carolina and manufacture Imugene’s Azer-cel to support ongoing clinical trials.

Imugene, Ltd. and Kincell Bio have announced a strategic manufacturing and process development partnership. The partnership includes the sale of Imugene’s North Carolina cGMP manufacturing facility and the transfer of process and analytical development activities to Kincell.

Under the agreement, Kincell Bio will acquire Imugene’s cGMP compliant cell therapy manufacturing facility in North Carolina for a total consideration of up to $6 million in upfront and milestone payments. In addition, under a manufacturing supply agreement, Kincell Bio will manufacture Imugene’s Azer-cel to support ongoing clinical trials.

Imugene will also transfer process and analytical development of Azer-cel to Kincell Bio in order to support process and method optimisation for commercial readiness. The 32,800-sq.-ft. facility is designed with the flexibility to expand in capacity and scope to support the manufacture of cell-based therapies.

Leslie Chong, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Imugene, said, “We are confident that this strategic partnership with Kincell will enable Imugene to reach key upcoming data inflection points and extend the company’s cash runway to 2026. Moreover, this partnership allows us to focus on our key capabilities, namely the development of novel cancer treatments.”

Bruce Thompson, CEO of Kincell, said, “The acquisition of this facility and experienced team, which is actively manufacturing CGMP-compliant products that can support late-stage and/or pivotal clinical trials, accelerates our ability to expand our service offerings for cell therapy developers.” He added that the facility’s location in Research Triangle Park (RTP) will facilitate access to talent in a fast-growing and attractive biotech hub.