Call it a case of good chemistry: Acepodia, a biotech based on Nobel Prize-winning science, is entering into a new partnership with Pfizer’s Ignite program to support development of the biotech’s unique cell immunotherapies.
Under the terms of the deal, Pfizer will provide resources, expertise and strategic advice to help Acepodia complete ongoing clinical development of two cancer treatments and expand its program into autoimmune diseases, according to a Sept. 3 release.
No financial details for the deal are being publicly disclosed, an Acepodia spokesperson told Fierce Biotech in an email. Acepodia will retain all rights related to the program’s progress and future partnerships, the release said.
Acepodia’s antibody-cell conjugate (ACC) platform is based on the work of Nobel laureate Carolyn Bertozzi, Ph.D., who is a scientific adviser for the company. Bertozzi pioneered the use of modular chemical reactions, known as click chemistry, inside of living cells without disrupting other important processes, a technique she termed bioorthogonal chemistry. She won the 2022 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for this work.
Acepodia uses these modular reactions to create modified T cells that express antigens targeting tumors; in other words, the company makes CAR T cells using chemistry rather than gene editing. ACC CAR T cells are easily scalable and avoid side effects seen in other CAR T-cell therapies, according to the release.
With Pfizer’s support, Acepodia hopes to next create T cells for undisclosed autoimmune targets.
“We see a significant opportunity to bring the benefits of our ACC platform to autoimmune diseases, and working with Pfizer Ignite will position us well to deliver our immunotherapies to patients in desperate need of new options,” Acepodia CEO Sonny Hsiao, Ph.D., said in the release.
The chemistry-inclined company’s lead asset is ACE1831, a cell therapy for non-Hodgkin lymphoma currently in phase 1 trials. ACE1831 T cells target CD20, a protein commonly found on the surface of cancerous B cells. In May, Acepodia reported that a single dose at the lowest dosage levels of ACE1831 had stabilized disease in three out of five patients who received it, with another patient’s cancer disappearing entirely. The biotech reported no serious adverse events from the treatment.
In addition to ACE1831, Pfizer will also help Acepodia advance its other oncology treatment, ACE2016. ACE2016 targets solid tumor cells that express epidermal growth factor receptor and is slated to enter phase 1 trials before the end of the year. The biotech raised $100 million in a series D last year to support its oncology pipeline.
Through its Ignite program, Pfizer partners with biotechs to help them advance new drugs from preclinical development all the way to market. Ignite mainly focuses on oncology, inflammation and immunology, according to the program’s website.
In 2023, Pfizer Ignite partnered with Mediar Therapeutics to advance two drug candidates for fibrosis; in May 2024, Swiss anti-allergy biotech Mabylon joined the program to advance an antibody treatment for peanut allergies.