Living Pharma, an immunotherapy developer, has been acquired just 18 months after being spun out from University of Maryland.
Living Pharma, a US-based immunotherapy developer based on research conducted at University of Maryland, has been acquired by biotech company Lentigen Technology for an undisclosed sum.
Living Pharma was spun out of Maryland’s School of Medicine 18 months ago, based on research by Eduardo Davila, associate professor of microbiology and immunology, and Koji Tamada, adjunct associate professor of otorhinolaryngology-head and neck surgery.
The spinout has developed immunotherapy that can be regulated, making it possible to switch off tumour-targeting T cells once the cancer has been destroyed. Living Pharma’s approach, dubbed AT-Car, also makes it possible to target multiple cancer types.
Boro Dropulić, chief science officer and general manager of Lentigen, said: “The potential of this technology is substantial and it could take Cara-T cell therapeutics to the next level.
“Furthermore, with our operations in Gaithersburg, Maryland, it is ideal for us to propel forward a technology developed right in our backyard and coming out of one of the state’s top institutions – University of Maryland School of Medicine.”
Phil Robilotto, assistant vice-president for technology transfer at the university and board representative for Living Pharma, said: “We are very excited by this acquisition as it enables the AT-Car technology to receive benefits from both a global leader in [Lentigen’s parent company] Miltenyi and a growing local collaborator in Lentigen – while also further validating the university’s New Venture Initiative model, in general.”
