MaxCyte signs licence deal with Vittoria Biotherapeutics

The AIM-traded firm said the agreement included platform licensing fees and programme-related revenue for MaxCyte.

It described Vittoria as a gene-edited cell therapeutics company known for its platform technologies focussed on developing a pipeline of differentiated cellular therapies for oncology and immunology indications.

The company was planning to file an investigational new drug application (IND) for its lead programme, Viper 101, later in the year.

Viper 101 is a gene-edited, autologous, dual-population cell therapy developed using Vittoria's proprietary ‘Senza5’ platform.

The therapy aimed to address a significant unmet therapeutic need for the treatment of T-cell lymphoma.

The Senza5 platform technology was designed to enhance the viability, efficacy, and safety of chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) treatments by modulating a novel checkpoint pathway in engineered T cells.

Preclinical models demonstrated that Senza5 CAR-T cells exhibited superior anti-tumour efficacy in both liquid and solid tumour settings.

Additionally, the Senza5 CAR-T cells were manufactured using a proprietary five-day process.

MaxCyte added that its Flow Electroporation technology and ExPERT platform were considered enabling technologies for cell engineering.

Flow Electroporation allowed for the efficient delivery of genetic material into cells by applying an electric field, enabling the development of novel cell therapies.

The ExPERT platform, meanwhile, provided researchers and developers with a suite of instruments, software, and reagents to optimise and streamline the engineering of cells for therapeutic purposes.

By licensing MaxCyte's technology platforms, Vittoria was looking to leverage the capabilities of Flow Electroporation and ExPERT to enhance its gene-edited cell therapy programmes.

“Working with partners to produce best-in-class solutions that accelerate the development of novel therapies to improve patient outcomes is central to our company's mission,” said president and chief executive officer Doug Doerfler.

“Through our partnership with Vittoria, MaxCyte has gained an opportunity to further validate and showcase our technology in a real-world setting and expand its footprint in the promising field of CAR-T therapies.

“We look forward to supporting Vittoria's efforts to improve efficacy and enhance safety of T-cell therapies.”

At 1055 BST, shares in MaxCyte were down 0.99% at 346.55p.

Reporting by Josh White for Sharecast.com.