Selecta Biosciences Announces Strategic Licensing Agreement with Takeda to Develop Next-Generation Gene Therapies for Patients with Lysosomal Storage Disorders

WATERTOWN, Mass., Oct. 04, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Selecta Biosciences, Inc. (NASDAQ: SELB), a biotechnology company leveraging its clinically validated ImmTOR™ platform to develop tolerogenic therapies that selectively mitigate unwanted immune responses, today announced that it has entered into a strategic licensing agreement with Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited (“Takeda”) to develop targeted, next-generation gene therapies for two indications within the field of lysosomal storage disorders. The collaboration leverages Selecta’s ImmTOR platform to enable redosing of transformative therapies.

Carsten Brunn, Ph.D., president and chief executive officer of Selecta, added, “Takeda is an ideal partner to maximize the potential of our ImmTOR platform in gene therapy. Their extensive capabilities as a global biopharmaceutical leader and expertise in rare diseases gives us a high degree of confidence that Selecta’s vision will be realized. Together, we look forward to overcoming barriers to current efforts in AAV-driven gene therapy, as well as striving to address immunogenicity constraints and unmet patient needs. This collaboration provides additional validation and further demonstrates the robust value of our ImmTOR platform, which may enable redosing of potentially life-saving gene therapies. We are excited to expand our growing pipeline with Takeda and build on the momentum of our rapidly advancing proprietary gene therapy programs.”

Under the terms of the agreement, Selecta is entitled to receive an undisclosed upfront payment and up to $1.124 billion in future additional payments over the course of the partnership that are contingent on the achievement of development or commercial milestones or Takeda’s election to continue its activities at specified development stages. Selecta is also eligible for tiered royalties on future commercial sales.

“Partnerships are critical as we look to build differentiated gene therapy programs where we have the opportunity to combine novel platform technologies that each aim to solve the challenges associated with first-generation gene therapies,” said Madhu Natarajan, head of Takeda’s rare diseases drug discovery unit. “Selecta’s ImmTOR platform is designed to mitigate unwanted immune responses allowing for redosing, which could have broad applicability across our gene therapy programs for a range of diseases.”

About Selecta Biosciences, Inc.

Selecta Biosciences Inc. (NASDAQ: SELB) is a clinical stage biotechnology company leveraging its ImmTOR™ platform to develop tolerogenic therapies that selectively mitigate unwanted immune responses. With a proven ability to induce tolerance to highly immunogenic proteins, ImmTOR has the potential to amplify the efficacy of biologic therapies, including redosing of life-saving gene therapies, as well as restore the body’s natural self-tolerance in autoimmune diseases. Selecta has several proprietary and partnered programs in its pipeline focused on enzyme therapies, gene therapies, and autoimmune diseases. Selecta Biosciences is headquartered in the Greater Boston area. For more information, please visit .

Selecta Forward-Looking Statements

Any statements in this press release about the future expectations, plans and prospects of Selecta Biosciences, Inc. (“the Company”), including without limitation, statements regarding the unique proprietary technology platform of the Company, and the unique proprietary platform of its partners, the programs and disease indication targets anticipated under this agreement, the ability of any drug candidate developed under the agreement to offer a therapeutic benefit, the potential of ImmTOR to enable re-dosing of AAV gene therapy, to enhance transgene expression and to mitigate immunogenicity, the potential treatment applications of product candidates utilizing the ImmTOR platform in areas such as gene therapy, the ability of the Company and its partners where applicable to develop gene therapy products using ImmTOR, the novelty of treatment paradigms that the Company is able to develop, the potential of the ImmTOR technology platform generally and the Company’s ability to grow its strategic partnerships, and other statements containing the words “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “hypothesize,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “target,” “would,” and similar expressions, constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors, including, but not limited to, the following: the unproven approach of the Company’s ImmTOR technology, our partners’ ability to develop products under the agreement, undesirable side effects of the Company’s technology, its reliance on third parties to manufacture its product candidates and to conduct its development activities, the Company’s inability to maintain its existing or future collaborations, licenses or contractual relationships, its inability to protect its proprietary technology and intellectual property, the availability of funding sufficient for its foreseeable and unforeseeable operating expenses and capital expenditure requirements, the Company’s recurring losses from operations and negative cash flows from operations raise substantial doubt regarding its ability to continue as a going concern, substantial fluctuation in the price of its common stock, and other important factors discussed in the “Risk Factors” section of the Company’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K to be filed after this release, and in other filings that the Company makes with the Securities and Exchange Commission. In addition, any forward-looking statements included in this press release represent the Company’s views only as of the date of its publication and should not be relied upon as representing its views as of any subsequent date. The Company specifically disclaims any intention to update any forward-looking statements included in this press release.

For Investors:

Bruce Mackle

LifeSci Advisors, LLC

For Media: 

Brittany Leigh, Ph.D.

LifeSci Communications, LLC