Building on successful pre-clinical in vivo CAR-M data in oncology, the companies will develop in vivo CAR-M for autoimmune diseases
Moderna nominated two autoimmune disease targets under the collaboration
Carisma is eligible to receive milestones and royalty payments
PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 10, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Carisma Therapeutics Inc. (Nasdaq: CARM) ("Carisma" or the "Company"), a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing innovative immunotherapies, today announced the expansion of its in vivo chimeric antigen receptor macrophage and monocyte (together, "CAR-M") collaboration with Moderna, Inc. (Nasdaq: MRNA) to include the nomination of two targets for the treatment of autoimmune diseases. Carisma retains all rights in autoimmune disease beyond the two nominated targets, which will be exclusively partnered with Moderna.
(PRNewsfoto/CARISMA Therapeutics Inc.)
Under this expanded collaboration, Carisma and Moderna will leverage Carisma's proprietary CAR-M technology and Moderna's mRNA/LNP platform to develop novel in vivo macrophage engineering approaches in the nominated autoimmune disease targets. Carisma will receive research funding and is eligible to receive development, regulatory, and commercial milestone payments, plus royalties on net sales of any products that are commercialized under the collaboration agreement. Carisma will be responsible for the discovery and optimization of development candidates, while Moderna will lead the clinical development and commercialization of therapeutics resulting from the agreement.
"We are excited to expand our collaboration with Moderna into the realm of autoimmune diseases," said Steven Kelly, President and Chief Executive Officer of Carisma. "The nomination of the two autoimmune targets is a significant milestone in our mission to harness the power of macrophages to treat a broader range of diseases. Our innovative CAR-M technology has the potential to revolutionize the treatment landscape for patients suffering from these debilitating conditions."
"We are excited to build on the progress of advancing in vivo CAR-M therapies with Carisma by expanding beyond oncology," said Lin Guey, PhD, CSO of Therapeutic Research Ventures, Moderna. "We continue to believe that the combination of our platform and Carisma's deep myeloid biology expertise could lead to innovative treatments for patients."
The expanded collaboration between Carisma and Moderna underscores the potential of CAR-M technology to impact a diverse range of disease areas. The expansion will aim to bring transformative therapies to patients with cancer and autoimmune diseases, advancing the frontier of immunotherapy.
About Carisma Therapeutics
Carisma Therapeutics Inc. is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on utilizing our proprietary macrophage and monocyte cell engineering platform to develop transformative immunotherapies to treat cancer and other serious diseases. We have created a comprehensive, differentiated proprietary cell therapy platform focused on engineered macrophages and monocytes, cells that play a crucial role in both the innate and adaptive immune response. Carisma is headquartered in Philadelphia, PA. For more information, please visit www.carismatx.com.
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For a discussion of these risks and uncertainties, and other important factors, any of which could cause Carisma's actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements, see the "Risk Factors" set forth in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023, its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2024, as well as discussions of potential risks, uncertainties, and other important factors in Carisma's other recent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Any forward-looking statements that are made in this press release speak as of the date of this press release. Carisma undertakes no obligation to revise the forward-looking statements or to update them to reflect events or circumstances occurring after the date of this press release, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise, except as required by the federal securities laws.
