Galapagos and Adaptimmune in clinical collaboration agreement for uza-cel

Galapagos (GLPG) and Adaptimmune Therapeutics ( ADAP) announced that they have entered into a clinical collaboration agreement with an option to exclusively license Adaptimmune’s next-generation TCR T-cell therapy uza-cel, targeting MAGE-A4 for head & neck cancer and potential future solid tumor indications, using Galapagos’ decentralized cell manufacturing platform. The Adaptimmune sponsored Phase 1 SURPASS trial with centrally manufactured uza-cel has shown encouraging results in head & neck cancer with an overall response rate of 80%. Initial in vitro results suggest that uza-cel, produced on Galapagos’ decentralized manufacturing platform, yields early phenotype T-cells that could improve efficacy and durability compared to uza-cel centrally manufactured on Adaptimmune’s platform.2 In addition, Galapagos’ decentralized manufacturing platform offers the potential for the delivery of fresh, fit cells with a vein-to-vein time of seven days in a patient population in which rapid access to treatment is vital.