Cimeio Therapeutics Announces Partnership with Kyowa Kirin to Develop Novel Cell Therapies

-- Collaboration leverages Cimeio’s novel epitope shielding and immunotherapy discovery expertise --

-- Cimeio is eligible to receive an upfront payment and two years of research funding, as well as development and commercial milestones and royalties upon Kyowa Kirin’s exercise of the commercial license option. Collaboration valued at up to $300 million --

BASEL, Switzerland--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Cimeio Therapeutics announced today that it has entered a research collaboration with Kyowa Kirin Co., Ltd. (Kyowa Kirin) to develop a novel therapy for diseases with high unmet need.

The partnership combines Cimeio’s proprietary Shielded-Cell & Immunotherapy Pairs™ (SCIP) platform with Kyowa Kirin’s expertise in cellular therapies and underscores both companies’ commitment to using emerging cell and gene therapy technologies to develop new ways to treat patients. Under the terms of the agreement, Cimeio is eligible to receive an upfront payment and two years of research funding. Upon Kyowa Kirin’s exercise of a commercial license option, Cimeio will be eligible for development and commercial milestones as well as royalties on sales of potential products arising from the partnership. Further terms are not disclosed.

Cimeio’s SCIP platform is based on the development of novel immunotherapies enabled by epitope-shielded cells. These cells contain modified variants of naturally occurring cell surface proteins that maintain their function but are resistant to depletion by the paired immunotherapy. These shielded cells enable the development of powerful therapeutics for previously undruggable targets, targeted conditioning for HSC transplant, and immune system reset amongst other applications.

"We are thrilled to collaborate with Kyowa Kirin, a company with a rich history of investing in innovative technologies that have the potential to significantly improve outcomes for patients with serious conditions," said Dr. Stefanie Urlinger, CSO of Cimeio. "This partnership represents a significant step forward for our company and mission."

"Kyowa Kirin and Cimeio share the vision for the potential of therapeutics enabled by epitope-shielded cells," said Yoshifumi Torii, Ph.D., Executive Officer, Senior Vice President, Head of Research Division of Kyowa Kirin. "With this partnership we believe we can develop a safe and effective therapy for diseases that in the past have been incredibly difficult to treat, and we’re looking forward to working with the talented team at Cimeio."

About Cimeio Therapeutics

Cimeio is an immunotherapy company developing Shielded-Cell & Immunotherapy Pairs™ (SCIP), novel immunotherapies which have the potential to transform treatment of hematologic diseases. Cimeio develops immunotherapies, along with paired, modified variants of naturally occurring cell surface proteins in HSCs. These novel epitope edited variants maintain their function but are resistant to depletion when targeted by a paired immunotherapy which has high affinity for the wild-type version of these proteins. These immunotherapies have significant therapeutic potential, which Cimeio is using to develop curative treatments for patients with hematologic malignancies, autoimmune disorders, and genetic diseases. Shielded Cell and Immunotherapy Pairs and SCIP are trademarks of Cimeio Therapeutics, Inc. For more information, please visit www.cimeio.com.