MaxCyte enters licence agreement with Kamau Therapeutics

The AIM-traded firm said the collaboration aimed to accelerate the development of cell therapies for genetic diseases, including sickle cell disease (SCD).

Under the agreement, Kamau Therapeutics would obtain non-exclusive rights to use MaxCyte's flow electroporation technology and ‘ExPERT’ platform for research, clinical, and commercial applications.

In return, MaxCyte would receive annual licensing fees and programme-related revenues.

MaxCyte said Kamau Therapeutics was focussed on advancing high-efficiency targeted gene integration through homology-directed repair (HDR) editing.

The approach would build upon first-generation CRISPR-Cas9 technology by cutting DNA and also providing a template for DNA repair.

Its lead investigational therapy, ‘nula-cel’, was currently in clinical development targeting SCD.

“Bringing this groundbreaking gene therapy research into the clinic requires a robust manufacturing process and the ability to scale,” said MaxCyte president and chief executive officer Maher Masoud.

“By partnering with us, Kamau gains access to our commercially validated flow electroporation technology as well as technical, regulatory and scientific support.#

“This enables them to optimise their clinical manufacturing process, mitigate risks and expedite the progression of their lead product candidate through clinical phases to deliver this potential cure to patients living with SCD.”

At 1038 BST, shares in MaxCyte were up 4.13% at 312.4p.

Reporting by Josh White for Sharecast.com.