BioNTech has passed on Autolus Therapeutics’ dual targeting CAR-T cell therapy. One year after securing a chance to co-develop the prospect, BioNTech let the option expire as part of its portfolio prioritization.
Autolus granted BioNTech a time-limited option on AUTO1/22 in February 2024. The option, which was part of a broader deal, gave BioNTech a chance to co-develop the cell therapy in return for an upfront fee and milestones. Building on its autologous CD19 CAR-T cell therapy obe-cel, Autolus added a CD22 CAR to create AUTO1/22. The dual mechanism is intended to address a major cause of treatment failure.
Thursday, Autolus said BioNTech didn’t exercise its product option for AUTO1/22. The option expired last month. Autolus attributed the decision to let the option expire to BioNTech’s pipeline prioritization. The German drugmaker discussed prioritization this month without disclosing its decision on AUTO1/22.
Autolus revealed BioNTech’s decision in its full-year earnings results without sharing information about the future of the program. On an earnings call, Autolus CEO Christian Itin teased a planned update on AUTO1/22 and other candidates in the biotech’s pipeline.
Related
BioNTech pays Autolus $250M for manufacturing, CAR-T expertise in wide-ranging collab
“We are moving forward, or have been active in, AUTO1/22, AUTO6NG and AUTO8 and we continue to progress the activities around those programs, collecting more information around the programs, and are planning to also give a short update at the R&D day ... towards the end of April,” Itin said.
BioNTech secured an option on AUTO6NG, a programmed T-cell therapy targeting GD2, as part of the deal that gave it a chance to co-develop AUTO1/22. The GD2 program is “progressing,” according to Autolus' earnings release. The biotech designed the cell therapy for use against neuroblastoma and other GD2-expressing solid tumors. Itin confirmed BioNTech still has an option on AUTO6NG.
“We're still obviously running through the current clinical study we're conducting with [University College London],” Itin said. “We would expect that trial to actually deliver results and then after we have the results in and the path forward is clear, that would actually be the time point for an option exercise, so it’s still a little bit ahead of us.”