On August 1, 2019 Pfenex Inc. (NYSE American: PFNX) and Arcellx, Inc. reported a Development, Evaluation and License agreement under which Arcellx gains access to the proprietary Pfenex Expression Technology platform to advance multiple proprietary sparX proteins that activate, silence and reprogram Antigen- Receptor Complex T cell based therapies (Press release, Pfenex, AUG 1, 2019, View Source [SID1234538434]). Pfenex has successfully completed expression screening and process development activities for the first sparX program. Technology transfer of the program to a cGMP manufacturing facility is underway. The success of the first program has encouraged both parties to initiate a second sparX program, both programs are focused on the treatment of hematologic malignancies.
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Under the terms of the agreement, Pfenex is eligible to receive development funding in addition to development, regulatory and commercial milestones ranging from $2.6M up to $18M for each product incorporating a SparX protein expressed using the Pfenex Expression Technology as well as royalties on worldwide sales of any such products.
"Our collaboration with Arcellx fits our strategy of leveraging the Pfenex protein production platform to advance our products and those of our collaborators. Pfenex’s success with the first sparX program further validates the versatility of our proprietary protein expression platform and the quality of our development capabilities. We look forward to collaborating with Arcellx through the combination of our respective platforms in support of developing new therapies for patients in need." said Eef Schimmelpennink, chief executive officer of Pfenex.
"The uniquely efficient protein expression technologies and process expertise developed by Pfenex have been critical in accelerating development of our first sparX program," said David Hilbert, chief executive officer of Arcellx. "Our continued development of new sparX programs provides the basis for a forward looking Pfenex collaboration involving multiple sparX proteins with the potential to revolutionize immune cell therapies."