Delhi-based Mankind Pharma’s subsidiary Mankind Pharma (Netherlands) B.V will acquire a majority stake in Armed Cell Therapeutics B.V., a Belgium-incorporated biotechnology company developing next-generation CAR-T (chimeric antigen receptor T-cell) therapies for cancer.
The acquisition propels Mankind’s vision of being an innovative, research-focused healthcare company and strengthens its ability to deliver advanced, innovation-led therapies globally, while remaining committed to quality, affordability and accessibility, the company said in a statement.
“Innovation will be one of the defining growth engines for Mankind over the coming decades. This investment is the first step in building a global pipeline of breakthrough therapies. As the company scales its presence across complex and chronic therapy areas, Mankind, with this venture, is getting access to cutting-edge & differentiated scientific platforms, experienced leadership team and potential to generate multiple next-generation CAR-T candidates”, Arjun Juneja, Chief Operating Officer, Mankind Pharma Ltd., said.
“Our long-term ambition is not only to participate in scientific innovation globally, but ultimately to make these transformative therapies more accessible to patients in India and around the world.”
CAR-T therapies have transformed the treatment of some blood cancers. Yet many patients relapse from lack of CAR-T cell persistence, CAR-T exhaustion or emergence of resistant cancer cells. Solid cancers are especially hard for CAR-T cells to penetrate and function in hostile tumor microenvironments. Armed CAR-T cells are engineered with additional payloads to strengthen and sustain their anti-tumor activity, with the goal of deeper and more durable responses. Targeting more than one cancer antigen is designed to make it harder for cancer cells to escape.
“Next-generation CAR-T therapies can reach many more patients if we make them more powerful and durable. Armed Cell Therapeutics has the assets, the team and now the backing of Mankind to do exactly that. I am pleased to chair the Board and support the team”, Dr. Paul Stoffels, Chair of the Board, Armed Cell Therapeutics, said.
Armed Cell Therapeutics was founded by a team with experience in drug development, cell therapy and building companies. Its founders, include Paul Stoffels, MD, Chair of the Board, former Chief Executive Officer of Galapagos and former Chief Scientific Officer of Johnson & Johnson; John Mellors, MD, Chief Scientific Officer, Distinguished Professor of Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh and former SVP Discovery and Early Development at Galapagos; and Peter Verhaeghe, former Chair of argenx.