BlueRock Therapeutics and bit.bio Collaborate for Manufacture of Regulatory T cell Based Therapies
BlueRock will be responsible for the global development and commercialization of therapeutic candidates emerging from this collaboration.
BlueRock Therapeutics and bit.bio announced a collaboration and option agreement for the discovery and manufacture of iPSC-derived regulatory T cells for use in creating therapeutics on August 3, 2023, according to a company press release.
“Tregs play a crucial role in maintaining balance in the body’s immune system and controlling excessive immune reactions,” said Stefan Irion, MD, Chief Scientific Officer of BlueRock Therapeutics, in a press release. “iPSC-derived Treg based therapies have the potential to treat a broad range of autoimmune and inflammatory disorders, and we look forward to collaborating with the bit.bio team to explore how their opti-ox cell programming technology can accelerate our efforts to discover and manufacture Tregs from iPSCs.”
With the new agreement, bit.bio will use its machine learning platform to identify transcription factor (TF) combinations for reprogramming iPSCs into Tregs, according to the press release. Further, the new agreement includes different alternatives for BlueRock to license bit.bio’s opti-ox precision cell programming technology to control the expression of TF combinations within Treg cell therapies. The opti-ox uses a dual genomic safe harbor approach to cell programming, and bit.bio uses opti-ox to drive the rapid TF-mediated conversion of iPSCs into highly defined cell types in a single step, according to the company.
“We are delighted to partner with the team at BlueRock, who are world-leaders in iPSC-derived cell therapies, and together address the significant unmet needs of these patients,” said Mark Kotter, MD PhD, CEO of bit.bio, in a press release. “Today’s announcement marks an important milestone for bit.bio. As well as providing significant financial contributions, our collaboration is a testament to the unique capabilities of bit.bio’s team.”
In addition, BlueRock will be responsible for the global development and commercialization of therapeutic candidates emerging from this collaboration, according to the press release.
Source: BlueRock Therapeutics
