Acepodia Teams With Pfizer Ignite To Push The Boundaries of Chemistry-Based Cell Therapy

In a promising collaboration, Acepodia—a biotech leveraging Nobel Prize-winning technology—is joining forces with Pfizer’s Ignite program. This partnership aims to advance Acepodia's distinctive cell immunotherapies. As part of the agreement, Pfizer will contribute resources, expert guidance, and strategic insights to assist Acepodia in finalizing the clinical development of two cancer therapies and broadening its initiatives into autoimmune disorders, as detailed in a release on September 3.

According to an Acepodia representative who spoke to Fierce Biotech via email, the agreement does not involve any financial transactions. The company will maintain full ownership of the program's advancement and any potential future collaborations, as noted in the release. Acepodia’s antibody-cell conjugate (ACC) platform draws inspiration from Nobel Prize winner Carolyn Bertozzi, Ph.D., who serves as a scientific adviser for the company. Bertozzi, recognized with the 2022 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, revolutionized the field with her development of bioorthogonal chemistry, a technique that employs modular chemical reactions, or click chemistry, within living cells without disrupting other vital processes.

Leveraging this innovative approach, Acepodia creates engineered T cells that are equipped with antigens specifically targeting tumors. Unlike traditional CAR T-cell therapies that rely on gene editing, Acepodia’s method utilizes chemistry to produce these modified cells. This strategy not only enhances scalability but also minimizes the side effects commonly associated with conventional CAR T-cell treatments.

With Pfizer’s backing, Acepodia aims to develop T cells targeting undisclosed autoimmune conditions. Acepodia CEO Sonny Hsiao, Ph.D., said in the release, “We see a significant opportunity to bring the benefits of our ACC platform to autoimmune diseases, and working with Pfizer Ignite will position us well to deliver our immunotherapies to patients in desperate need of new options.”

Acepodia, a company with a focus on chemistry-driven solutions, is making waves with its leading candidate, ACE1831. This cell therapy, currently undergoing phase 1 trials, is designed to combat non-Hodgkin lymphoma by targeting CD20, a protein prevalent on malignant B cells. In May, Acepodia revealed that a single dose of ACE1831 at the lowest administered levels managed to stabilize the disease in three of five patients, with one patient's cancer disappearing entirely. Notably, the biotech reported no severe adverse events linked to the treatment.

Beyond ACE1831, Pfizer is set to support Acepodia in advancing another promising oncology treatment, ACE2016. This therapy aims at solid tumor cells expressing the epidermal growth factor receptor and is expected to enter phase 1 trials later this year. Acepodia bolstered its oncology research by securing $100 million in a Series D funding round last year.

Pfizer's Ignite program is designed to collaborate with biotech companies to shepherd innovative drugs from the early stages of development through to market approval. The program primarily targets advancements in oncology, inflammation, and immunology, as detailed on its website. In 2023, Ignite teamed up with Mediar Therapeutics to progress two promising treatments for fibrosis. More recently, in May 2024, Swiss biotech Mabylon entered the program to develop an antibody therapy aimed at treating peanut allergies.