Eterna Therapeutics, a life science company focused on mRNA cell engineering, has acquired Exacis Biotherapeutics’ immuno-oncology platform.
The acquisition will provide Eterna with a pipeline of allogeneic immuno-oncology products under development for the treatment of haematologic and solid tumours.
The deal also provides Eterna with an exclusive global license to produce an unlimited number of mRNA-engineered natural killer (NK) and T-cell therapies derived from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs).
“We are excited to bring this powerful platform into Eterna. With Exacis’ pipeline of engineered iPSC-derived cell therapy candidates, we believe Eterna is well-positioned to develop more effective, targeted and highly differentiated medicines to treat cancer,” said Matt Angel, Chief Executive Officer and President of Eterna.
The technology underlying Exacis’ platform uses mRNA cell reprogramming and mRNA gene editing to create engineered iPSC-derived cells for use in the development of cancer therapies that can target nearly any cancer antigen.
In contrast to DNA-based reprogramming and gene editing, the mRNA-based approach does not expose cells to expensive and potentially harmful viruses or DNA vectors. Eterna plans to use Exacis’ platform to develop engineered cell therapies containing genomic edits designed to enhance their performance.
