Abbvie Inc (NYSE:ABBV) has agreed to acquire Capstan Therapeutics in a deal worth up to $2.1 billion, expanding its pipeline with a potential first-in-class treatment for autoimmune diseases and gaining access to a new type of RNA delivery system.
The acquisition will give the pharma giant control of CPTX2309, a lipid nanoparticle-based therapy that delivers mRNA directly into the body to program the immune system.
CPTX2309 is in Phase 1 trials and is designed to engineer CD8 T cells inside the body, a process known as in vivo engineering, to express an anti-CD19 chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) and destroy B cells, which play a key role in autoimmune disease.
Lipid nanoparticles are tiny fat-based particles that can encapsulate and protect fragile molecules such as mRNA, helping them reach targeted cells in the body. This technology gained prominence during the COVID-19 pandemic as a delivery method for mRNA vaccines.
The deal also includes Capstan's targeted lipid nanoparticle (tLNP) system, which is designed to send RNA payloads such as mRNA to specific cell types.
This in vivo approach, meaning the cell reprogramming takes place inside the patient, removes the need for the complex and costly ex vivo (outside the body) manufacturing used in traditional CAR-T therapies.
AbbVie said the technology offers the potential to reset the immune system by depleting harmful B cells and allowing healthy B cells to repopulate.
Unlike traditional CAR-T therapies, CPTX2309 does not require preconditioning with strong chemotherapy and is designed to be administered off-the-shelf.
The acquisition is subject to standard closing conditions, including antitrust clearance. If approved, it would bolster AbbVie's work in immunology by adding a flexible RNA-based system that could be applied to other diseases.
Capstan, based in San Diego, has focused on developing treatments that combine the accuracy of cell therapy with the convenience and scalability of mass-produced biologic drugs.
The company’s system uses lipid nanoparticles paired with proteins to deliver mRNA and reprogram cells inside the body.