On Thursday, April 2, Fate Therapeutics announced a multi-year collaboration with Janssen to develop and commercialize new off-the-shelf CAR-NK and CAR-T cell products derived from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). As part of the agreement, Fate will apply its iPSC product platform and Janssen will contribute proprietary antigen-binding domains for up to four tumor-associated antigen targets. Below, FENIX provides highlights from the deal and analysis of how Janssen’s ability to develop off-the-shelf cell therapies, potentially also targeting solid tumors, could strengthen the company’s position in the cell therapy field.

On Tuesday, April 14, J&J held their Q1 ‘20 earnings call (press release / slides). While the call focused predominantly on J&J’s response to the COVID-19 crisis, the company stated that filing of JNJ-4528 (BCMA CAR-T) continues to be projected for H2 2020. J&J also emphasized their determination to reduce the impact of the pandemic on their ongoing clinical trials. Below, FENIX provides highlights and analysis from the call, including how JNJ-4528’s upcoming filing may impact BMS’s ide-cel, the current BCMA CAR-T frontrunner.