Century Therapeutics Shifts Focus to Autoimmune Diseases, Discontinues Cancer Trial

Century Therapeutics, a cell therapy biotech company, has announced a significant shift in its strategic focus, discontinuing its phase 1 cancer study to concentrate on autoimmune diseases. This move aligns with a broader industry trend and follows the company's recent acquisition of autoimmune cell therapy biotech Clade Therapeutics.

CNTY-101 Program Pivots to Autoimmune Diseases

Century Therapeutics has decided to end the ELiPSE-1 trial, which was testing CNTY-101, the company's first allogeneic cell therapy candidate, in patients with late-stage relapsed-refractory non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (R/R NHL). Despite encouraging clinical activity and tolerability, the data did not meet the company's standards for "transformational" impact on the patient population.

The company is now redirecting CNTY-101 towards B-cell-mediated autoimmune diseases, citing deep B cell depletion and evidence of the therapy trafficking to lymph nodes as supportive factors for this decision. A new early-stage trial, CALiPSO-1, is set to begin dosing patients with B-cell-mediated autoimmune diseases this month in the United States, with plans to expand to European countries later this year.

Pipeline Prioritization and Preclinical Programs

In light of this strategic shift, Century Therapeutics is prioritizing its preclinical pipeline to focus on four key programs:

1. CNTY-308: A CD19-targeted CAR-iT cell therapy for B-cell mediated autoimmune diseases and malignancies.
2. CNTY-341: A CD19/CD22 dual-targeted CAR-iT cell therapy.
3. Two additional undisclosed programs.

All of these programs utilize induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived "tunable" CD4+/CD8+ ab T cells. The company aims to develop allogeneic cell therapies at antibody-like scale and cost, potentially expanding access to cell therapies more broadly.

Financial Outlook and Industry Collaborations

As of December 31, 2024, Century Therapeutics reported $220 million in cash and marketable securities, providing a runway into the final quarter of 2026. This financial position comes after recent changes in the company's collaborations, including the termination of a partnership with Bristol Myers Squibb in December 2024.

The dissolution of the BMS collaboration, which had initially offered over $3 billion in potential payments, became effective on March 12. Despite this setback, Century Therapeutics remains committed to its new strategic direction and the development of its prioritized pipeline candidates.