Astellas spending $760m on autoimmune tie-up
pharmafile | June 4, 2015 | News story | Sales and Marketing | Astellas, anokion, brett wells, kanyos
Astellas Pharma and Anokion are to collaborate and develop new treatments for type 1 diabetes and celiac disease in a deal that could net the latter firm $760 million.
A key component of the partnership is the creation of a new company in Kanyos Bio, which is based in Cambridge in the US and is to develop clinical candidates in the two indications – with also an option for Japanese drugmaker Astellas to add a third.
Kanyos Bio will use the technology of Switzerland’s Anokion to make treatments designed to break down the immune system’s response to specific antigens.
“We are delighted that our partner Astellas is applying its resources and pharmaceutical development expertise to Anokion’s platform technology and immunology expertise, through our new company Kanyos,” says Jeffrey Hubbell, Professor of Molecular Engineering at the University of Chicago, and the academic founder, chairman and CSO of both Anokion and Kanyos.
Anokion is a spin-off from the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (where Hubbell is also a bioengineering professor) and develops immunology techniques to treat autoimmune and allergic diseases.
Kanyos Bio is to be funded through a $16 million equity financing by Astellas along with Anokion investors, that include Versant Ventures, Novo Ventures, Novartis Venture Fund, among others.
Astellas will provide non-dilutive research funding to Kanyos and holds an option to acquire the company after reaching certain milestones.
“I am pleased to enter into this agreement with Anokion, under which we will be developing unique and innovative products for antigen-specific immune tolerance,” says Kenji Yasukawa who is the senior VP and chief strategy officer of Astellas.
Yasukawwa claims that the collaboration is the latest piece of Astellas’ strategy in immunology, with its goal being to provide innovative pharma products for diabetes and celiac disease – which is a serious genetic autoimmune disease that damages the villi of the small intestine.
“In addition to the above mentioned initial targets, it is considered that the technology can be applied to other autoimmune diseases. In this sense, there is meaningful potential for future growth,” Yasukawwa says.
Brett Wells
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