The Belgian biotech Galapagos NV has signed a binding agreement with Gilead Sciences Inc giving it rights to a prospective T cell therapy programme targeting autoimmune diseases. Concluded on 31 March, the deal centres on an early clinical-stage bispecific antibody designed to link a patient’s T cells to the B cell maturation antigen (BCMA) on plasma cells. In this way, it would eliminate pathogenic B cells and plasma cells in order to reduce inflammation and treat autoimmune diseases.
