CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Jan. 04, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- TCR² Therapeutics Inc. (Nasdaq: TCRR), a clinical-stage cell therapy company with a pipeline of novel T cell therapies for cancer patients suffering from solid tumors, and Arbor Biotechnologies, a biotechnology company discovering and developing the next generation of genetic medicines, today announced that the two companies have entered into a strategic research collaboration and non-exclusive license agreement focused on the further development of a defined set of allogeneic TRuC-T cell therapies. The collaboration leverages Arbor’s proprietary CRISPR gene-editing technology, which is tailored to address the underlying pathology of genetic diseases, and TCR²’s’ first-in-class TRuC platform, which has demonstrated clinical activity in multiple treatment-refractory mesothelin-expressing solid tumor indications with its lead autologous program gavo-cel.

“Our autologous TRuC-T cells have already established clinical activity in multiple difficult-to-treat solid tumors without being dependent on HLA, thus allowing our therapies to be used on the broadest patient population. We believe allogeneic TRuC-T cell therapies will further extend this impact by accelerating patient access while reducing manufacturing cost,” said Garry Menzel, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of TCR² Therapeutics. “The collaboration with Arbor enables us to evaluate multiple allogeneic candidates with novel enhancements and advance a lead candidate in 2022, consistent with our vision of continuing to innovate novel therapies for cancer patients suffering with solid tumors.”

"The collaboration with TCR² allows us to leverage Arbor's proprietary discovery engine and gene editing technologies with an established cell therapy leader developing life-changing treatments for serious cancers,” said Devyn Smith, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Arbor. “This agreement reinforces the versatility and strength of Arbor’s platform and furthers our strategic vision of expanding the impact of Arbor’s gene editors through partnerships with leading organizations developing engineered cell therapies.”

Under the terms of the agreement, Arbor will receive an upfront cash payment and is also eligible to receive additional milestone payments based upon the successful achievement of development, regulatory and commercial milestones across a selected number of programs. In addition, TCR² will pay tiered royalties on future net sales on any products that may result from this collaboration.

About TCR² Therapeutics

TCR² Therapeutics Inc. is a clinical-stage cell therapy company developing a pipeline of novel T cell therapies for cancer patients suffering from solid tumors. The company is focused on the discovery and development of product candidates against novel and complex targets utilizing its proprietary T cell receptor (TCR) Fusion Construct T cells (TRuC^®-T cells). The TRuC platform is designed to specifically recognize and kill cancer cells by harnessing signaling from the entire TCR, independent of human leukocyte antigens (HLA). For more information about TCR², please visit www.tcr2.com.

About Arbor Biotechnologies

Arbor Biotechnologies is a life sciences company discovering and developing the next generation of genetic medicines based on wholly owned genomic editors discovered from its machine learning/AI driven discovery platform. Since its founding by Feng Zhang, David Walt, David Scott, and Winston Yan, Arbor has built the most extensive toolbox of proprietary genomic editors in the industry. Using the discovery platform, Arbor can discover, screen, and engineer novel editing enzymes and effectors that can then be tailored to the underlying cause of disease to result in potentially curative medicines for patients. As Arbor continues to advance its pipeline toward the clinic with an initial focus in liver and CNS disease, the Company has also partnered with leading companies on several gene editing and ex vivo cell therapy programs to broaden the reach of its novel nuclease technology. For more information, visit arbor.bio.

Forward-looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements and information within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and other federal securities laws. The use of words such as "may," "will," "could", "should," "expects," "intends," "plans," "anticipates," "believes," "estimates," "predicts," "projects," "seeks," "endeavor," "potential," "continue" or the negative of such words or other similar expressions can be used to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, express or implied statements by TCR² Therapeutics Inc. regarding the therapeutic potential of gavo-cel and the Company’s other product candidates, timing of updates for the gavo-cel clinical trial, expectations with respect to timing of the Company’s IND submission for TC-510, expectations regarding timing for lead candidate selection and preclinical data for the Company’s allogeneic TRuC-T cells, emerging pipeline and other enhancements, future IND filings and clinical development plans, the development of the Company’s TRuC-T cells, their potential characteristics, applications and clinical utility, and the potential therapeutic applications of the Company’s TRuC-T cell platform.

The expressed or implied forward-looking statements included in this press release are only predictions and are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions, including, without limitation: uncertainties inherent in clinical studies and in the availability and timing of data from ongoing clinical studies; whether interim results from a clinical trial will be predictive of the final results of the trial; whether results from preclinical studies or earlier clinical studies will be predictive of the results of future trials; the expected timing of submissions for regulatory approval or review by governmental authorities, including review under accelerated approval processes; orphan drug designation eligibility; regulatory approvals to conduct trials or to market products; TCR²’s ability to maintain sufficient manufacturing capabilities to support its research, development and commercialization efforts, including TCR²’s ability to secure additional manufacturing facilities; whether TCR²'s cash resources will be sufficient to fund TCR²'s foreseeable and unforeseeable operating expenses and capital expenditure requirements, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on TCR²’s ongoing operations; and other risks set forth under the caption "Risk Factors" in TCR²’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, most recent Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q and its other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. In light of these risks, uncertainties and assumptions, the forward-looking events and circumstances discussed in this press release may not occur and actual results could differ materially and adversely from those anticipated or implied in the forward-looking statements. You should not rely upon forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. Although TCR² believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, it cannot guarantee that the future results, levels of activity, performance or events and circumstances reflected in the forward-looking statements will be achieved or occur.

Moreover, except as required by law, neither TCR² nor any other person assumes responsibility for the accuracy and completeness of the forward-looking statements included in this press release. Any forward-looking statement included in this press release speaks only as of the date on which it was made. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

Investor and Media Contacts:

TCR² Therapeutics

Carl Mauch
Director, Investor Relations and Corporate Communications
(617) 949-5667
carl.mauch@tcr2.com

Arbor Biotechnologies

Amy Bonanno
(914) 450-0349
abonanno@soleburytrout.com

Source: TCR2 Therapeutics