On June 21, 2016 Adaptimmune Therapeutics plc (Nasdaq:ADAP), a leader in T-cell therapy to treat cancer, reported that it has entered into a commercial development and supply agreement with Thermo Fisher Scientific (Press release, Adaptimmune, JUN 21, 2016, View Source;p=RssLanding&cat=news&id=2178965 [SID:1234513479]). The new 10-year agreement augments Adaptimmune’s exclusive license and supply relationship with Thermo Fisher for the Dynabeads CD3/CD28 Cell Therapy System (CTS)* for use in the manufacture of Adaptimmune’s SPEAR T-cell therapies.

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Dynabeads CD3/CD28 CTS is designed to isolate, activate and expand human T-cells. This technology provides coordinated and simultaneous activation and co-stimulation signals to T-cells, a process that is reported to produce T-cells with enhanced proliferation and with characteristics that enable prolonged persistence in vivo**. Adaptimmune has an exclusive license for the IP associated with the use of Dynabeads CD3/CD28 to expand and activate all TCR-transduced T-cells in cancer, infectious and autoimmune diseases.

"We are delighted to expand our collaboration with Thermo Fisher and secure continuity of supply of Dynabeads through commercialization," said Gwen Binder-Scholl, Adaptimmune’s Chief Technology Officer. "Dynabeads CD3/CD28 have unique properties which we believe optimize the manufacture of our SPEAR T-cell therapies, including the generation of younger and healthier T-cells leading to prolonged persistence of therapeutic cells in the blood. We look forward to continuing to work closely with Thermo Fisher as we progress toward the commercialization of our T-cell therapeutics."

"Thermo Fisher’s market-leading cell therapy workflow solutions are enabling its customers to address the unique commercialization challenges of this market. We are pleased to expand our partnership with Adaptimmune, a leader in the T-cell immunotherapy space," said Oystein Aamellem, director of Cellular Medicine for Thermo Fisher. "This agreement demonstrates our sustained commitment to advancing the development of our Dynabead CD3/CD28 technology to support the treatment of solid tumors, as well as other conditions that threaten human health."

Adaptimmune’s SPEAR T-cell therapies are novel cancer immunotherapies that have been engineered through their T cell receptors (TCRs) to target and destroy cancer cells by strengthening a patient’s natural T-cell response. T-cells are a type of white blood cell that play a central role in a person’s immune response. Adaptimmune’s goal is to harness the power of the T-cell and, through its multiple therapeutic candidates, significantly impact cancer treatment and clinical outcomes of patients with solid and hematologic cancers.

The manufacturing process consists of isolating T-cells from the blood of cancer patients; transferring affinity enhanced TCRs, which have been modified to recognize cancer cells, into the cells; activating and expanding the T-cells using Dynabeads CD3/CD28; and, introducing the affinity enhanced cells back into the patient to enable the patient’s immune system to respond and attack cancer.