NEW YORK – Moderna and Immatics on Monday said they will use their respective mRNA and T-cell receptor technologies to develop cancer treatments.
The companies will focus on three immunotherapy modalities: bispecifics, cell therapies, and cancer vaccines. Moderna will use its mRNA platform for in vivo expression of Immatics' T-cell engaging receptor (TCER) bispecifics targeting HLA-presented peptides. They will also develop mRNA-based cancer vaccines using both Moderna's mRNA platform and Immatics' target discovery platform, XPRESIDENT, and its bioinformatics and AI platform, XCUBE. Finally, the partners will evaluate Immatics' lead candidate IMA203, an autologous cell therapy targeting PRAME, in combination with Moderna's PRAME-targeted mRNA-based cancer vaccine in preclinical studies and potentially in a Phase I trial.
In the deal, Moderna will pay Immatics $120 million upfront and provide research funding. Tübingen, Germany-headquartered Immatics is also eligible to receive development, regulatory, and commercial milestone payments that could exceed $1.7 billion. If any TCER bispecifics or cancer vaccine products are commercialized under the agreement, Immatics is also eligible to receive tiered royalties on their global net sales. Immatics also has the option to enter into a global profit and loss share arrangement for the most advanced TCER product.
Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Moderna will lead clinical development of the cancer vaccines and TCER therapies, while Immatics will be responsible for preclinical research on the IMA203-PRAME mRNA vaccine combination and the Phase I trial if the regimen reaches that stage. The companies will each retain full ownership of their PRAME candidates and share clinical study costs.
Immatics is currently studying IMA203 as a monotherapy and in combination with Bristol Myers Squibb's Opdivo (nivolumab) in a Phase I trial in solid tumors that express PRAME. Last month, the company also began a Phase I/II trial of its bispecific T-cell engaging receptor, IMA402, in HLA-A*02:01-positive solid tumors.
Moderna recently inked a partnership to evaluate another mRNA cancer vaccine targeting claudin 18.2 expression with Carsgen Therapeutics' autologous CAR T-cell therapy, CT041. The firm also has an ongoing collaboration with Merck to study a neoantigen cancer vaccine V940 (mRNA-4157) with Merck's checkpoint inhibitor Keytruda (pembrolizumab) in melanoma.