Abata Therapeutics Secures Investment from Bristol Myers Squibb for Treg Cell Therapy Development

On Aug. 15, 2024, Abata Therapeutics, a company dedicated to developing Treg therapies for severe autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, announced a new equity investment from Bristol Myers Squibb. This investment is aimed at advancing Abata’s Treg cell therapy products, particularly supporting the imminent clinical trials of ABA-101 for progressive multiple sclerosis.

Samantha Singer, the President and CEO of Abata, expressed gratitude for Bristol Myers Squibb's backing. She emphasized the significance of this investment, given Bristol Myers Squibb's leadership in cell therapy, immunology, and neuroscience. Singer noted that this partnership not only provides financial support but also valuable expertise that will aid in the development of Abata’s lead programs: ABA-101 for progressive multiple sclerosis and ABA-201 for type 1 diabetes.

Abata Therapeutics specializes in developing Treg therapies to address severe autoimmune and inflammatory conditions. The company was founded by experts in Treg biology, TCR and antigen discovery, disease pathogenesis, and molecular and imaging biomarkers. Abata has created a unique product engine to produce tissue-specific, robust, and durable engineered Treg cell therapies. The company’s principal program, targeting progressive multiple sclerosis, is poised to begin a Phase 1 clinical trial in 2024. Additionally, their program for type 1 diabetes is currently in the stage of IND-enabling studies. Both conditions are tissue-specific autoimmune diseases with significant unmet medical needs, which underscores the relevance of Abata's Treg approach.

Established in 2021 by Third Rock Ventures, Abata Therapeutics has garnered support from a diverse group of investors, including Lightspeed Venture Partners, Biogen, Bristol Myers Squibb, ElevateBio, Eurofarma, Invus, Samsara BioCapital, and T1D Fund. The company's headquarters are located in Watertown, Massachusetts.