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“The collaboration with Regeneron complements bluebird bio’s growing
immuno-oncology development portfolio, which includes clinical and
pre-clinical CAR T and T cell receptor programs,” said
“Like Regeneron, bluebird is a science-focused company looking to push
the limits of what novel technologies can do in drug discovery and
development,” said
The collaborators have jointly selected six initial targets and will equally share the costs of research and development up to the point of submitting an Investigational New Drug (IND) application. Additional targets may be selected over the five-year research collaboration term. When an IND is submitted for a potential cell therapy product, Regeneron will have the right to opt-in to a co-development/co-commercialization arrangement for certain collaboration targets, with 50/50 cost and profit sharing. If Regeneron does not opt-in, the company is eligible to receive milestone payments and royalties from bluebird bio on any potential resulting products.
Regeneron will also make a
Cell-based immunotherapies such as chimeric antigen receptor T cells
(CAR Ts) use human immune cells (typically T cells derived from the
patient with cancer) that are modified and returned to the patient to
serve as therapeutic agents that specifically target and kill cancer
cells. In advanced clinical studies, researchers have shown that
modified T cells are highly active therapies in patients with a variety
of blood cancers even after other treatment approaches have failed, and
there are existing
bluebird bio’s technologies use a customized lentiviral vector to modify T cells so that they can recognize tumor-specific proteins expressed by cancer cells and kill them upon engagement. Regeneron’s VelociSuite® technologies, including VelocImmune® and Veloci-T, enable the creation of fully-human antibodies and T cell receptors. These complementary technologies have the potential to expand the types of tumors that modified T cells can safely and effectively target by enabling the T cells to reach both extracellular and intracellular tumor antigens.
About bluebird bio, Inc.
With its lentiviral-based gene therapies, T cell immunotherapy expertise
and gene editing capabilities,
bluebird bio's gene therapy clinical programs include investigational treatments for cerebral adrenoleukodystrophy, transfusion-dependent β-thalassemia, also known as β-thalassemia major, and severe sickle cell disease.
bluebird bio's oncology pipeline is built upon the company's lentiviral
gene delivery and T cell engineering, with a focus on developing novel T
cell-based immunotherapies, including chimeric antigen receptor (CAR T)
and T cell receptor (TCR) therapies. The company’s lead oncology
programs are anti-BCMA CAR T programs partnered with
bluebird bio’s discovery research programs include utilizing megaTAL/homing endonuclease gene editing technologies with the potential for use across the company's pipeline.
bluebird bio has operations in
About Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Regeneron (NASDAQ: REGN) is a leading biotechnology company that invents
life-transforming medicines for people with serious diseases. Founded
and led for 30 years by physician-scientists, our unique ability to
repeatedly and consistently translate science into medicine has led to
six
Regeneron is accelerating and improving the traditional drug development process through our proprietary VelociSuite® technologies, including VelocImmune® (a genetically-engineered mouse model that has a genetically-humanized B cell immune system that produces optimized fully-human antibodies) and Veloci-T (a genetically-engineered mouse model that has genetically-engineered T cell immunity). Regeneron scientists are also conducting ambitious research initiatives such as the Regeneron Genetics Center®, which is conducting one of the largest genetics sequencing efforts in the world.
For additional information about the company, please visit www.regeneron.com or follow @Regeneron on Twitter.
bluebird bio Forward-Looking Statements
This release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements regarding the research, development and advancement of bluebird bio’s product candidates and immuno-oncology research program, including its TCR research program and those shared with Regeneron, and the benefits of each company’s strategic plans and focus. Any forward-looking statements are based on management’s current expectations of future events and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially and adversely from those set forth in or implied by such forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the risk that the research programs for these targets will be unsuccessful and not identify any viable product candidates, the risk that our collaboration with Regeneron will not continue or will not be successful, the risk of cessation or delay of any planned clinical studies and/or our development of our product candidates, and the risk that any one or more of our product candidates will not be successfully developed and commercialized. For a discussion of other risks and uncertainties, and other important factors, any of which could cause our actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements, see the section entitled “Risk Factors” in our most recent quarterly report on Form 10-Q, as well as discussions of potential risks, uncertainties, and other important factors in our subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. All information in this press release is as of the date of the release, and bluebird bio undertakes no duty to update this information unless required by law.
Regeneron Forward-Looking Statements and Use of
This news release includes forward-looking statements that involve
risks and uncertainties relating to future events and the future
performance of
Regeneron uses its media and investor relations website and social media outlets to publish important information about the Company, including information that may be deemed material to investors. Financial and other information about Regeneron is routinely posted and is accessible on Regeneron’s media and investor relations website (http://newsroom.regeneron.com) and its Twitter feed (http://twitter.com/regeneron).
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Source: bluebird bio, Inc.
bluebird bio Investor Relations
Elizabeth Pingpank, +
617-914-8736
epingpank@bluebirdbio.com
or
bluebird
bio Media Relations
Stephanie Fagan, + 201-572-9581
sfagan@bluebirdbio.com
or
Regeneron
Investor Relations
Manisha Narasimhan, Ph.D., +1-914-847-5126
manisha.narasimhan@regeneron.com
or
Regeneron
Media Relations
Alexandra Bowie, +1-202-213-1643
alexandra.bowie@regeneron.com