United Therapeutics Corporation (Nasdaq: UTHR) announced it has acquired Thymmune Therapeutics, Inc. (Thymmune), a privately held, preclinical stage biotechnology company developing scalable, regenerative thymic cell therapies for the potential treatment of post-transplant organ tolerance, immunodeficiencies, and autoimmune diseases.
The thymus is a critical organ for the development and proper function of key parts of the immune system, including training T-cells, which are essential for fighting infections and other diseases. Thymmune has a proprietary process for converting human-induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) into thymic cells, which — once inside the body — mature into cell types that can restore healthy T-cell function.
Thymmune’s lead candidate, THY-100, is in preclinical development for congenital athymia, an ultra-rare and life-threatening condition in which infants are born without a functional thymus. Animal studies have shown that treatment with THY-100 results in the in vivo formation of a neo-thymus that is capable of facilitating T-cell development. The clinical proof of concept and further development of THY-100 has the potential to broaden thymic regenerative medicine approaches for transplant tolerance, serious immune-mediated diseases, and enhanced longevity for older adults with diminished T-cell function.
“Thymmune’s platform complements United Therapeutics’ broader mission to expand the supply of transplantable organs, building on our UThymoKidney™ clinical development program and our growing strength in immunomodulatory therapeutics,” said Martine Rothblatt,Ph.D., Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer of United Therapeutics. “By restoring or modulating T-cell receptor diversity, Thymmune’s technology could make fundamental contributions to human health care and potentially resolve the root causes of dozens of life-threatening diseases.”
“Thymmune was founded to harness the biology of the thymus to restore immune function for patients with serious immune-mediated diseases,” said Stan Wang, M.D., Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Thymmune Therapeutics. “United Therapeutics shares our conviction that regenerative medicine can transform the lives of patients, and we believe its leadership in organ alternatives and cell-based technologies makes it the ideal partner to advance our platform toward broad clinical impact.”
Under the terms of the agreement, United Therapeutics acquired Thymmune for $140 million in cash, subject to certain post-closing adjustments, plus potential earn-out payments to former Thymmune equityholders of up to $160 million based upon the achievement of certain clinical and regulatory milestones by the end of 2031.
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