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Australia-based AdAlta Limited, developer of next generation cell and protein therapeutic products, and its cellular immunotherapy subsidiary, AdCella have signed a major development agreement with Shanghai Cell Therapy Group (SHcell) to bring an innovative cancer treatment, BZDS1901, to markets outside China.
This partnership marks the official launch of AdCella’s “East to West” strategy, leveraging Chinese innovation and Australian expertise to accelerate global access to next-generation cell therapies.
The therapy, BZDS1901, is a first-in-class CAR-T1 cell treatment targeting mesothelin (MSLN), a protein found at very high levels in aggressive cancers like mesothelioma, certain lung cancers, and various gynaecological cancers. These are diseases with few effective options and poor survival rates.
More than 35,000 new cases of mesothelioma are diagnosed each year, more than 29,000 deaths and 20,000 relapsed or treatment refractory patients. There are limited treatment options once chemotherapy fails. 85-90% of patients have high levels of MSLN expression, however MSLN therapies, including MSLN CAR-T’s, have had limited success to date. The global market for mesothelioma-related drugs alone is forecast to reach $12.2 billion by 2034.
AdAlta plans that AdCella will raise funds directly through private investment to fund development. Discussions with venture capital funds, institutional investors, and family offices for the first funding round, as well as follow-on financing, are ongoing.
SHcell is to supply transposase materials for production of BZDS1901, treatment additional patients in an ongoing IIT study in China and for the ongoing development of BZDS1901 in China. AdCella estimates it will invest up to $22-31 million over the next four years to advance development of BZDS1901 to the end of Phase 1 clinical trials.
