Kite to acquire Tmunity, terms undisclosed

Kite, a Gilead company and Tmunity Therapeutics announced that the companies have signed an agreement in which Kite will acquire Tmunity, a clinical-stage, private biotech company focused on next-generation CAR T-therapies and technologies. The company said the acquisition of Tmunity complements Kite’s existing in-house cell therapy research capabilities by adding additional pipeline assets, platform capabilities, and a strategic research and licensing agreement with the University of Pennsylvania. The acquisition will provide Kite with pre-clinical and clinical programs, including an ‘armored’ CAR T technology platform, which potentially could be applied to a variety of CAR T’s to enhance anti-tumor activity, as well as rapid manufacturing processes. Tmunity’s prostate-specific membrane antigen, or PSMA, and prostate stem cell antigen, or PSCA, assets are not part of the Kite acquisition and will be spun-out by Tmunity as part of the transaction. As part of the acquisition, Kite will assume responsibility for continuing the research and development collaboration between Tmunity and Penn, also known as the Amended Research License Agreement, or ARLA, which includes research funding to Penn along with options and licenses to certain cell engineering and manufacturing technologies invented and developed in certain Penn laboratories. Upon closing, the ARLA will be extended until 2026 with an option to extend further.