AstraZeneca will acquire all outstanding equity of EsoBiotec for a total consideration of up to USD 1 billion, on a cash and debt free basis. This will include an initial payment of USD 425 million on deal closing, and up to USD 575 million in contingent consideration based on development and regulatory milestones.

EsoBiotec will become a wholly owned subsidiary of AstraZeneca, with operations in Belgium.

“We are excited about the acquisition of EsoBiotec and the opportunity to rapidly advance their promising in vivo platform. We believe it has the potential to transform cell therapy and will enable us to scale these innovative treatments so that many more patients around the world can access them. EsoBiotec will accelerate and expand the impact of our recent investments and marks a major step forward in realising our ambition to harness the full potential of cell therapy,” says Susan Galbraith, Executive Vice President, Oncology Haematology R&D, AstraZeneca.

EsoBiotec

The EsoBiotec Engineered NanoBody Lentiviral (ENaBL) platform empowers the immune system to attack cancers and could offer many more patients access to transformative cell therapy treatments delivered in just minutes rather than the current process which takes weeks, according to the companies.

ENaBL uses highly targeted lentiviruses to deliver genetic instructions to specific immune cells, such as T cells, which programme them to recognise and destroy tumour cells for cancer treatment or autoreactive cells for potential use in immune-mediated diseases. This approach enables cell therapies to be administered through a simple IV injection and without the need for immune cell depletion.

By engineering immune cells directly within the patient’s body, the EsoBiotec in vivo approach has the potential to address many of the barriers associated with traditional cell therapies, reducing complexities and manufacturing timelines, thereby increasing access for patients.

By engineering immune cells directly within the patient’s body, the EsoBiotec in vivo approach has the potential to address many of the barriers associated with traditional cell therapies, reducing complexities and manufacturing timelines, thereby increasing access for patients, states AstraZeneca.

The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2025, subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory clearances.