On Jun. 25, 2018, AbbVie, a research-based global biopharmaceutical company, and Calibr, a nonprofit drug discovery division of Scripps Research, announced a collaboration to develop T-cell therapies aimed primarily at cancer, including solid tumors.

This collaboration broadens AbbVie’s oncology research to access advanced precision medicine technology to expand the development of potentially life-changing treatments for patients with cancer.

Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapies harness the power of a cancer patient’s own immune system to attack and destroy cancer cells. Despite promising results in hematological malignancies, current CAR-T therapies in development for solid tumors have demonstrated limitations due to rapid activation and expansion of CAR-T cells that can lead to serious adverse events.

Under the terms of the license agreement, AbbVie will pay Calibr an upfront license fee and gain exclusive access to Calibr’s switchable CAR-T platform for a term of up to four years. The two organizations will work together to develop T-cell therapies directed to solid tumor targets identified by AbbVie.

AbbVie also has the option to develop additional cell therapies toward AbbVie-nominated targets and license existing Calibr cell therapy programs under development for hematological and solid cancers, including Calibr’s lead program. Calibr plans to enter this lead candidate into clinical studies for lymphoma in 2019. In addition, the agreement provides AbbVie with an option to acquire an exclusive license to Calibr’s switchable CAR-T platform and programs within the first four years of the collaboration. The companies will share responsibility for preclinical development, with AbbVie responsible for clinical development and commercialization, and Calibr eligible to receive success-based milestone payments and royalties.