Orgenesis and Cure Therapeutics Form Joint Venture for Cell and Gene Therapies

On Dec. 9, 2020, Orgenesis, a global biotech company focused on cell and gene therapies, and Cure Therapeutics, a developer of immuno-oncology and cell and gene therapies, announced that they have signed a joint venture agreement to advance the development, regulatory and governmental approval, and commercialization of point-of-care (POCare) production for both companies’ cell and gene therapies as well as immunotherapies.

Under the agreement, the companies will collaborate to develop and commercialize Cure Therapeutics’ pipeline on a global basis. The companies will also collaborate on the development, commercialization, and supply of Orgenesis’ therapeutic pipeline in South Korea and Japan. According to the terms, Cure Therapeutics and Orgenesis will contribute at least $10 million to the joint venture to cover operating costs, $5 million of which may be provided in the form of in-kind contribution.

The partnership will first focus on aligning the efforts of both companies to advance proprietary Orgenesis chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CAR-T), tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILS), and Duvac (cellular vaccine) therapies into clinical trials in South Korea and Japan. Process development and validation will be completed by leveraging the POCare technologies from the Orgenesis platform to achieve automated manufacturing at the point of care.

“This collaboration between Orgenesis and Cure Therapeutics further expands our cell and gene therapy pipeline and provides a clear illustration of the international scope of our POCare Platform,” said Vered Caplan, CEO of Orgenesis, in a company press release. “We selected Cure Therapeutics as our partner in South Korea and Japan given their expertise in the region and robust immunotherapy pipeline. Additionally, this [a]greement supports Orgenesis’ continued efforts to complement the Orgenesis pipeline and distribution efforts in the United States, Europe, and globally.”

“The joint venture and partnership with Orgenesis will provide a significant international route to market for our immunotherapies targeting cancers and infectious diseases. Cure Therapeutics will leverage the Orgenesis POCare Network of leading international healthcare institutions to accelerate the international development and market approvals for our portfolio,” said David Kim, CEO of Cure Therapeutics, in the press release. “In parallel, we will leverage our established network to help develop and rapidly advance the Orgenesis cell and gene therapy portfolio in South Korea and Japan.”

Source: Orgenesis