Juno Therapeutics and Thermo Fisher Scientific Announce CAR T Manufacturing Partnership

WALTHAM, Mass.,Dec. 20, 2017/PRNewswire/ -- Juno Therapeutics (NASDAQ:JUNO) and Thermo Fisher Scientific have entered into a partnership for Juno to useThermo Fisher'sCell Therapy Systems (CTS) activation reagents in the manufacturing of its chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CAR T) therapies.

Under the seven-year nonexclusive licensing and supply agreement, Juno has obtained rights to use CTS Dynabeads CD3/CD28 magnetic beads as part of the clinical and commercial manufacturing processes for its current and future CAR T therapies. CTS Dynabeads activate and expand T cells that have been genetically engineered to recognize and fight cancer cells in each individual patient. The proprietary platform already enables research, development, and commercialization of other CAR T cell therapies globally by providing a scalable platform that streamlines production while ensuring high reproducibility.

"Juno aims to manufacture best-in-class CAR T therapies to help as many patients as we can," saidAnn L. Lee, Juno's Executive Vice President of Technical Operations. "Thermo Fisher'stechnology will help us do that and deliver on our promise to patients."

"As Juno progresses its pipeline from clinical research to commercializing drug product, it requires the highest-quality manufacturing capabilities that the industry can offer," saidMark Stevenson, Chief Operating Officer, Thermo Fisher Scientific. "Cell Therapy Systems' products help minimize the risk of contamination and variability in clinical research and drug commercialization. These products are supported by rigorous regulatory review, making them a proven choice as more companies invest in moving from bench to bedside."

No other terms from this transaction were disclosed.