Adaptimmune Therapeutics and Alpine Immune Sciences, Inc. have entered a collaboration and license agreement to develop next-generation SPEAR T-cell products incorporating Alpine’s secreted and transmembrane immunomodulatory protein (termed SIP and TIP) technology. This collaboration aims to further enhance Adaptimmune’s efforts to design and develop next-generation SPEAR T-cell therapies.

“SPEAR T-cell therapies have demonstrated clinical promise for the treatment of solid tumors. Based on knowledge emerging from translational research of resistance mechanisms, we will start our first next-gen clinical study with ADP-A2M4CD8 in the second half of 2019,” said Rafael Amado, Adaptimmune’s president of R&D. “We are very excited to begin this collaboration with Alpine which complements our research on next-generation SPEAR T-cells. We believe that Alpine’s platform technology could engage further rapid and flexible immunomodulatory mechanisms, which would enable the development of future next-generation SPEAR T-cells with enhanced antitumor potential.”

“Our directed evolution platform has successfully generated many unique, multi-functional protein domains designed to favorably modulate the tumor microenvironment via validated immune targets,” said Stanford Peng, MD PhD, Alpine’s president and head of R&D. “We look forward to working with Adaptimmune to develop next-generation SPEAR T-cell therapies to achieve improved clinical outcomes.”

Alpine and Adaptimmune will collaborate on a specified number of programs to develop SIP and TIP candidates with tailored affinities and modulatory activities that may enhance the anti-tumor responses seen with Adaptimmune’s SPEAR T-cells. For each program, Adaptimmune has an option to a worldwide exclusive license for development and commercialization of SPEAR T-cell products incorporating the developed SIP or TIP candidate for the treatment of cancer.

Adaptimmune will provide an upfront payment and research funding for ongoing programs. Alpine may be eligible for downstream development and commercialization milestones up to $288 million, if all pre-specified milestones for each program are achieved, as well as royalties on sales.