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- Syncona’s Autolus announces strategic collaboration with BioNTech
Syncona’s (SYNC’s) portfolio company Autolus Therapeutics plc has announced that it has entered into a strategic collaboration with BioNTech SE, a next-generation immunotherapy company pioneering novel therapies for cancer and other serious diseases. The strategic collaboration is aimed at advancing both companies’ autologous CAR-T programmes towards commercialisation, pending regulatory authorisations. In connection with the strategic collaboration, the companies entered into a license and option agreement and a securities purchase agreement, which can be summarised as follows:
Separately, Autolus Therapeutics has announced the pricing of a public offering in the US of 58,333,336 of its American Depositary Shares (ADSs – representing 58,333,336 ordinary shares), at US$6.00 per ADS, generating total gross proceeds of approximately US$350.0m (£277.2m). All ADSs sold in the offering were offered by Autolus and the offering is expected to close on 12 February 2024, subject to customary closing conditions. Following this public offering and the sale of US$200m ADSs to BioNTech SE noted above, Syncona retains a stake of approximately 11.8% in Autolus, which was valued at £167.8m at close of business on 07 February 2024.
Separately, Beacon Therapeutics Holdings (another SYNC portfolio) presented 12-month interim safety and efficacy results from its Phase II SKYLINE trial of its lead asset, AGTC-501, in patients with X-linked retinitis pigmentosa (XLRP) at the 47th Annual Macula Society Meeting in Palm Springs, California. Highlights from the presentation include:
Elisa Petris, Lead Partner at Syncona Investment Management Limited, said: “This 12-month data presented by Beacon from the SKYLINE trial shows a strong response from the company’s lead AGTC-501 therapy, which continues to display a favourable efficacy and safety profile. It is pleasing to see improvements in visual function amongst patients who have been treated. This underlines AGTC-501’s potential in XLRP, a disease area where there is currently no approved treatment. Key to understanding the longer term durability profile of the therapy will be 24-month data from SKYLINE, which is expected in H2 CY2024.”
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