Takeda Acquires GammaDelta Therapeutics

Takeda announced that it had exercised its option to acquire GammaDelta Therapeutics, a biotechnology company focused on using gamma delta (γx) T cells (T lymphocytes) for immunotherapy, on Oct. 27th, 2021. Following the acquisition, Takeda will have access to GammaDelta’s platforms that leverage γδT cells for the potential treatment of solid tumors and hematological malignancies.

Takeda and GammaDelta began a collaboration in 2017, which was developed to form GammaDelta’s novel γδ T cell therapy platforms. Now that the acquisition option has been exercised, Takeda will obtain GammaDelta’s allogeneic variable delta 1 (Vδ1) γδ T cell therapy platforms. This includes both blood-derived and tissue-derived platforms as well as early-stage cell therapy platforms. The deal is expected to close sometime in Q1 of 2022.

“Collaborating with scientific innovators with unique technology platforms and deep domain expertise, such as the GammaDelta team, allows Takeda to identify and accelerate the most promising approaches that can be developed into products to impact the lives of cancer patients,” said Christopher Arendt, head of oncology cell therapy and therapeutic area unit of Takeda, in a company press release. “Gamma-delta T cell-based therapies represent a differentiated approach to target both solid tumors and hematological malignancies, and we are eager to integrate GammaDelta’s cell therapy platforms into our immuno-oncology R&D efforts.”

“Through our work together, we’ve made great strides in developing our proprietary γδ T cell therapy platforms, which have enabled the development of a pipeline of innovative cell therapies and allowed for the advancement of our first program into Phase 1 clinical development.” said Paolo Paoletti, CEO of GammaDelta, in the press release. “This acquisition builds on the tremendous work of our talented team and provides the foundations to enable rapid development of a portfolio of innovative allogeneic cell therapies, focused on improving outcomes for patients with cancer.”

Source: GammaDelta Therapeutics