Clade Therapeutics Announces the Acquisition of Gadeta B.V.

Expands Clade’s pipeline and broadens its platform with:
– proprietary gamma/delta (g/d) TCR universal targeting platform technology,
– g/d TCR candidate integrated into Clade’s solid tumor pipeline

BOSTON, Oct. 02, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Clade Therapeutics (“Clade”), a biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and delivering engineerable, off-the-shelf, scalable, and consistent stem cell-based medicines, today announced that it has completed the acquisition of Gadeta B.V. (“Gadeta”), a cell therapy company developing innovative gamma/delta (g/d) T-cell receptor (TCR)-based immunotherapies for cancer patients.

Gadeta is an international R&D company, focused on innovative immunotherapies for cancer. The company developed a proprietary platform to engineer novel g/d TCRs that possess broad tumor targeting capabilities. These g/d TCRs recognize unique patterns or targets on the surface of cancer cells that signal that they are diseased, thereby specifically targeting cancer cells and sparing healthy cells.

The acquisition will provide Clade with preclinical cell therapy programs, g/d TCR discovery engine and a suite of cell enhancement to improve anti-tumor activity of cell therapies. The integration of Gadeta’s g/d TCR targeting technology is complementary to Clade’s cellular platform technology and will enhance the development of engineerable, off-the-shelf, scalable, and consistent stem-cell based medicines.

Under the terms of the acquisition agreement, Clade has acquired all outstanding shares of Gadeta, making it a wholly owned subsidiary of Clade. Gadeta shareholders will receive upfront and downstream economics.

“Clade is at the forefront of broadening the impact of cell therapy by establishing a more robust cellular platform with stem-cell derived immune cells,” said Chad Cowan, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Clade Therapeutics. “Our technology platform consists of both a ‘Cell Foundry’ that enables the generation of adult immune cells including both CD8+ and CD4+ T Cells, as well as a ‘Cloaking Engine’ that ensures best-in-class and tuned protection from both the cellular and humoral wings of a host’s immune system. The acquisition of Gadeta represents a strategic move to integrate a third element to our platform: ‘Universal Targeting’. This integration seamlessly complements Clade’s existing platform and commitment to developing engineerable, off-the-shelf, scalable, and consistent cell medicines.”

Jim Glasheen, Ph.D., President and Chief Business Offer of Clade Therapeutics added, “Gadeta has generated compelling in-vitro and in-vivo data over the last few years with its lead gamma/delta (g/d) TCRs in solid tumor indications and we’re excited to integrate this novel targeting into Clade’s solid tumor programs. Clade’s pipeline programs are focused on replicating the benefits of the autologous cell therapy products, while addressing their profound limitations – inconsistent quality, challenging patient logistics, and lack of scalability. This acquisition reaffirms our belief that Clade’s engineerable platform provides the right ‘chassis’ for integrating compelling innovations coming out of the autologous cell therapy ecosystem.”

Marcel Zwaal, Chief Executive Officer of Gadeta said, “Today, we are pleased to announce a significant milestone in the journey of Gadeta. Our pipeline of novel, distinctive g/d TCRs has the potential to make a significant impact to the lives of patients with solid tumors, and this strategic transaction with Clade Therapeutics represents a major step towards bringing our novel g/d TCRs to the clinic in an off-the-shelf platform.”

About Clade Therapeutics

Clade Therapeutics’ mission is to discover and deliver next generation cell medicines to improve the lives of patients in need.

Clade Therapeutics is shifting the paradigm of cell medicine by establishing a robust cellular platform with stem-cell derived immune cells for treatment of cancer and autoimmune diseases. Clade has unparalleled expertise in generating adult human T cells, Treg cells and B cells derived from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). Clade is combining this expertise with its proprietary immune “cloaking” of human iPSCs and their adult derivatives, novel universal targeting, and cellular enhancements to enable the development of true “off-the-shelf” cell therapies.

The Company is supported by a premier investor syndicate including: Syncona, LifeSci Venture Partners, Emerson Collective and Bristol-Myers Squibb. Clade promises to become a leading innovator in developing engineerable, off-the-shelf, scalable, and consistent cell medicines. For further information, please visit the company’s website at https://www.cladetx.com/.

About Gadeta B.V.

Gadeta is a cell therapy company developing innovative treatments based on g/d T cell receptors for targeting solid tumors.

Gadeta’s platform is focused on discovering and developing novel g/d T cell receptors (TCRs) that can specifically recognize novel cancer specific surface targets. It can eliminate the cancer cells, while sparing healthy tissue. The g/d TCR is an immune receptor expressed by a special type of immune cell with an important role in patrolling the body for any sign of cancer. The g/d T cell receptors (TCRs) provide the unique combination of virtues of tumor specific targeting, natural signaling and universal targeting in a HLA-independent manner.

Gadeta was founded in 2015 and has had collaborations with Kite Pharma, a Gilead Company and has an ongoing collaboration with Immunocore. Gadeta’s investor syndicate includes Kite Pharma, Medicxi and Utrecht Holdings. For further information, please visit the company website at https://www.gadeta.nl/. 

Contact:
Mari Purpura
LifeSci Advisors
mpurpura@lifesciadvisors.com