Regeneron's Cell Therapy Chief Develops New 'Secret Sauce'

Phil Gregory, the new head of Regeneron Cell Medicines, recently shared insights about the integration of 2seventy during an interview at the American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy (ASGCT) annual meeting in Baltimore. Gregory's transition to Regeneron marks a significant step, as he previously held a similar position at 2seventy. Under Regeneron's umbrella, the scope of his responsibilities has notably expanded.

Gregory humorously mentioned the overwhelming amount of information he has had to process, highlighting the primary challenge as the cognitive effort required to understand everything happening within Regeneron. The integration, however, appears to be progressing smoothly. Gregory joined Regeneron following the acquisition of 2seventy’s cell therapy pipeline, which was announced in January. The financial aspects of the deal included a $5 million upfront payment and a $10 million milestone contingent on the first market approval of the program resulting from the transaction.

This acquisition is not Regeneron’s first collaboration with 2seventy; the two companies had previously partnered back in 2018 when 2seventy was still part of bluebird bio. Gregory emphasized the benefit of this prior relationship, stating that the familiarity between the teams has facilitated the integration process.

Regeneron has a history of integrating long-term partners, as evidenced by its acquisition of Decibel Therapeutics. At the ASGCT meeting, Decibel's data on restoring hearing in two profoundly deaf children with genetic hearing loss was a significant topic of discussion.

According to Gregory, the integration of 2seventy is well underway, although not yet fully complete. Steve Bernstein, M.D., the Chief Medical Officer of 2seventy, has also joined Regeneron. Gregory noted that the partnership now offers access to the complete suite of technologies from both companies, as they are now unified under one umbrella.

Nevertheless, Gregory admitted that assimilating Regeneron’s technologies has been a steep learning curve. He described this process as part of Regeneron’s "secret sauce," where understanding and merging different technological aspects are crucial.

Regeneron’s Chief Scientific Officer, George Yancopoulos, M.D., Ph.D., indicated that the ultimate objective is to combine Regeneron’s antibody capabilities with 2seventy’s cell therapy approach to innovate in the field of biologics. This integration aims to create a synergistic effect that goes beyond a simple merger.

In the coming year, Gregory’s focus will be on advancing the original 2seventy pipeline, which includes several promising therapies: dual-targeted CAR T cell therapy bbT369 for B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma, SC-DARIC33 for acute myeloid leukemia, a MUC16-targeted CAR-T for ovarian cancer, a MAGE-A4 TCR program for solid tumors, and other therapies targeting autoimmune conditions and unnamed targets.

Looking ahead, the company plans to integrate Regeneron’s biologics, including antibodies and bispecifics, into the cell therapy domain. Gregory believes that these integrations present synergistic opportunities that will drive future innovations.

Additionally, Gregory mentioned that Regeneron continues to explore other technologies that could complement this ambitious new program. The company remains vigilant in identifying both internal and external opportunities that could significantly contribute to its future growth.

In summary, Phil Gregory’s transition to Regeneron Cell Medicines signifies an important development in the company’s strategic direction. The integration of 2seventy’s cell therapy pipeline with Regeneron’s robust technological capabilities is expected to yield innovative advancements in biologics and cell therapy, setting the stage for future breakthroughs in the field.