Lisata Therapeutics Inc (NASDAQ:LSTA) announced that it has entered into a research license agreement with Catalent to evaluate certepetide, its iRGD cyclic peptide candidate, using Catalent’s SMARTag antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) platform.
The research will focus on preclinical testing for diseases such as advanced solid tumors.
Catalent will fully fund the research and development work, while Lisata will contribute consulting support, according to a statement from Lisata.
The agreement also includes an upfront payment to Lisata and the potential for future payments depending on the outcome of the evaluation.
Lisata’s chief medical officer, Dr Kristen Buck, said the deal represents a logical extension of the company's development strategy. According to Buck, the combination of certepetide with ADC technology could enhance drug delivery into tumors while reducing toxicity.
“ADCs utilize monoclonal antibodies to target tumor-specific antigens ensuring precise delivery of cytotoxic drugs to cancer cells while sparing healthy tissues,” Buck explained.
Buck added that certepetide may also help to reduce immunosuppression in the tumor microenvironment, potentially improving patient response, which Buck said "furthers our strategy of exploiting certepetide’s broad applicability and unlocking its full potential."
Penelope Drake, head of R&D, Bioconjugates at Catalent, expressed enthusiasm about the collaboration’s potential to deliver innovative treatment options.
“We are excited to partner with Lisata to investigate how certepetide and the SMARTag technology might be used together to make ADCs with enhanced functions,” Drake said.
Shares of Lisata gained around 4.1% on Tuesday morning.