AstraZeneca Completes Acquisition of EsoBiotec to Advance In Vivo Cell Therapy Innovation

AstraZeneca has officially completed its acquisition of EsoBiotec, a biotechnology company specializing in in vivo cell therapies. EsoBiotec's groundbreaking Engineered NanoBody Lentiviral (ENaBL) platform has shown encouraging early clinical results and holds the potential to significantly accelerate and broaden access to transformative cell therapy treatments.

Unlike traditional cell therapies that can take weeks to prepare, the ENaBL platform enables the immune system to fight cancer with treatments administered in just minutes. It uses precision-engineered lentiviruses to deliver genetic instructions directly to specific immune cells, such as T cells, reprogramming them to identify and eliminate tumor cells. The platform may also be applicable to treating immune-mediated diseases by targeting autoreactive immune cells.

This innovative approach allows cell therapy to be delivered via a simple intravenous (IV) injection, eliminating the need for complex procedures like immune cell harvesting or depletion.

With the acquisition finalized, EsoBiotec is now a wholly owned subsidiary of AstraZeneca, continuing its operations from Belgium.

AstraZeneca has acquired all outstanding shares of EsoBiotec for up to $1 billion on a cash- and debt-free basis. The deal includes an upfront payment of $425 million, with up to $575 million in additional payments tied to development and regulatory milestones.