MaxCyte and Kamau Therapeutics ink platform license deal

MaxCyte, a cell engineering technology company, has entered into a strategic platform license agreement with Kamau Therapeutics, a clinical-stage company focused on gene correction for stem cell therapies. This partnership aims to accelerate the development of cell therapeutics for genetic diseases.

Under this agreement, Kamau Therapeutics will gain non-exclusive rights to utilize MaxCyte’s Flow Electroporation technology and ExPERT platform for its homology-directed repair (HDR) gene correction technology. In return, MaxCyte will receive annual licensing fees and revenue related to the program.

Kamau Therapeutics employs a high-efficiency targeted gene integration approach to develop new treatments for serious and life-threatening diseases, including sickle cell disease (SCD). Their platform leverages HDR editing, which builds upon the first-generation CRISPR-Cas9 technology. This technique not only cuts DNA but also provides a DNA template for repairs.

MaxCyte CEO and president Maher Masoud emphasized the importance of a robust manufacturing process and scalability in bringing groundbreaking gene therapy research into the clinic. He noted that by partnering with MaxCyte, Kamau will have access to commercially validated Flow Electroporation technology, as well as technical, regulatory, and scientific support. This partnership aims to optimize Kamau’s clinical manufacturing process, mitigate risks, and expedite the progression of their lead product candidate through clinical phases to deliver a potential cure for SCD.

Matthew Porteus, co-founder of Kamau, highlighted the advantages of HDR in overcoming previous limitations in specificity, efficiency, and durability of gene editing. He expressed optimism that through their collaboration with MaxCyte and the use of its non-viral platform, they could treat or cure various serious genetic diseases with unmet medical needs using homology-directed repair.

Kamau’s leading investigational program, nula-cel, which is based on HDR editing, is currently in clinical development for SCD.

MaxCyte’s ExPERT platform, which incorporates electroporation technology, is designed to support the expanding cell therapy market. It offers high transfection efficiency and scalability, which are essential for the production of next-generation cell-based therapeutics. The ExPERT platform comprises products such as the ATx, STx, GTx, and VLx instruments, along with proprietary processing assemblies, disposables, and software protocols. These are all supported by a global intellectual property portfolio.

This collaboration with Kamau marks MaxCyte’s 29th clinical or commercial partnership. Each partnership typically generates pre-commercial milestone revenue, with a significant portion derived from program-related revenue.

In 2023, MaxCyte also formed a strategic platform license agreement with biotechnology company Catamaran Bio to support chimeric antigen receptor-NK cell therapy programs.