US Pharma Collaborations

In April 2020, oNKo‑innate announced a major step forward in advancing next‑generation cancer immunotherapies through a new three‑year research collaboration with Gilead Sciences and Kite Pharma. The partnerships centre on the discovery and development of innovative drug candidates and engineered cell therapies that harness the unique potential of natural killer (NK) cells, a fast‑emerging focus area in immuno‑oncology.

While many current immunotherapy strategies rely on T‑cell–mediated approaches, NK cells offer a complementary mechanism for targeting and destroying cancer cells. By leveraging oNKo‑innate’s deep scientific expertise in NK cell tumour biology, the collaboration aims to identify new immune cell targets, enhance NK anti‑tumour activity, and develop next‑generation NK cell therapies for clinical evaluation.

Under the agreement, oNKo‑innate will receive upfront funding and may become eligible for additional milestone‑based payments and sales royalties across the immuno‑oncology and cell therapy programs. The collaboration also includes genome‑wide screening initiatives to accelerate the discovery of novel NK cell‑based therapeutic opportunities, supporting both Gilead’s immuno‑oncology portfolio and Kite’s engineered cell therapy pipeline.

Press release: Gilead, Kite and oNKo-innate Announce Research Collaboration to Discover Cancer Immunotherapies Focused on Natural Killer (NK) Cells