Lonza and Immunitas Therapeutics has announced an agreement to advance the manufacturing process for the company's lead drug candidate, IMT-009, using a customized, accelerated version of Lonza's Ibex Design program.

Under the terms of the agreement, Lonza's Ibex Design end-to-end offering will cover the development stages of IMT-009 from development candidates through early clinical studies.

Henit Lapid, Head Mammalian Commercial Development and Marketing, Lonza said, "Immunitas' extensive knowledge in human immunology is a great match for the unique speed and flexibility of our Ibex Design, which supports our customer's needs for manufacturing agility. Lonza's advanced gene to IND platform achieves speed without compromising quality and offers an optimal program profile for a seamless transition from gene to IND and beyond."

Amanda Wagner, Vice President of Strategy, Immunitas Therapeutics said, "We are diligently progressing IMT-009, our first-in-class lead program targeting CD161, into the clinic, and this innovative collaboration with Lonza allows us to utilize the validated components of the Ibex Design program to accelerate our IND. We believe Lonza will be a great collaborator as we work to rapidly advance our pipeline."

Immunitas uses a single cell sequencing platform to identify novel oncology targets. The company is currently advancing a number of programs toward early human studies, including IMT-009, which targets CD161, a therapeutic T and NK cell target recently highlighted in the journal Cell. 

IMT-009 is a monoclonal antibody that disinhibits T cells and NK cells in the tumor microenvironment and is being advanced for use in both solid tumors and hematological malignancies.

As part of the customized agreement with Immunitas, Lonza has tailored The Ibex Design Program to provide rapid access to material for GLP toxicology and cGMP manufacturing for Phase 1 clinical study start.