The Team Sport of Cell Therapy
Christi Shaw
Life Sciences Leader | Board Member | Advisor | Founder, More Moments More Memories Clinical Trial Access | Environmental Conservationist
As the CEO of a leading cell therapy company, my goal is to make sure Kite delivers potentially lifesaving treatments to patients who have exhausted other options against cancer. Broadening the use of cell therapy
I am proud of Kite’s progress in expanding the use of cell therapy to multiple cancer types. Our therapies can now be used to treat three different types of lymphoma: large B-cell lymphoma, mantle cell lymphoma, follicular lymphoma and one form of leukemia – B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in adults.
But as an industry we can do more. In B-cell lymphoma, for example, studies show that only 20% of patients eligible for cell therapies actually receive them. Yet we know that these therapies can increase survival from months to years for some patients; we may even be close to delivering true cures.
We also need to get these treatments to patients quicker. Among Kite’s strengths is our manufacturing speed and reliability
We continue to invest significant resources to maintain our leadership in cell therapy manufacturing. During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, we opened a new facility in the Netherlands to better serve patients outside of the US. Another state-of-the-art manufacturing site will come online in Maryland in 2022. These commercialization capabilities – especially our technical operations – are significant differentiators for us. Despite the substantial disruptions to supply chains because of COVID-19, I am very pleased that we never missed delivering a single patient dose.
Partnering to outperform
Our commitment to supply chain and manufacturing excellence
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This ability to combine our expertise with another company’s is different from the traditional business development approach. The typical options were either to invest equity in an early-stage company and remain hands off or take 100% ownership through an acquisition. Our recent deals with Daiichi Sankyo in Japan and Fosun Kite in China are true commercial partnerships. They extend beyond the transfer of technology.
Both relationships are mentorships, in which Kite and the partner are engaged in every step of the cell therapy process, with each party leveraging what they do best. These models are mutually beneficial. And we have evidence the approach works. By letting Fosun Kite lead in China, we had a very successful launch of cell therapy in that country, treating many patients in the first month.
A team sport
We don’t just partner with life sciences companies. Delivering a cell therapy to a patient is a team sport. We have close relationships with logistics providers and airlines to maintain our on-time delivery schedule. We collaborate with academic centers, regulators, patient advocacy groups and health systems as well. It’s truly a team effort.
Another critical partner is our parent company, Gilead. Our corporate structure means Kite has the autonomy where it really needs it – R&D, technical operations, commercial decisions and corporate development. We’re also able to tap into key enabling functions such as Finance, IT and HR and avoid duplicating resources. That allows us to stay focused on how we use cell therapy in oncology to meet patients’ needs.
How can we improve patient outcomes
This article originally appeared in the 10th edition of the annual EY M&A Firepower Report.
Freelance Reporter
1 年Eric Pham, UWisconsin-Madison classmate; Prof Bob West lab; Reed College alum; Ed Rutter Crazy (Elroy Hirsch) Legs 1988; Holly Harris in WDC more than a decade ago CELL BIOLOGY in trash, McKinley local monopoly rental apartments
Executive Director Meghmani | Advisory Board Member Ajanta Clocks & Orpat Companies | Industrialist | Startups | Angel Investor
3 年Phenomenal work Christi.
CEO at CytoAgents | EY Winning Women 2021 | Board Trustee at St. Clair Hospital | Biotechnology Innovator
3 年Great points Christi Shaw. Finding lifesaving #cancertreatments is a team sport. That’s why at CytoAgents, Inc, we are working with partners to develop cutting edge science to address the life-threatening symptoms associated with #cytokinereleasesyndrome in CAR T-cell therapy. Perhaps we’ll partner someday soon to solve these problems #winningwomen, EY
Director BD at ProPharma Group
3 年James Edgar
Global Supply Chain Transformation
3 年new therapies are opening doors that we never knew existed - this is exciting and we are fortunate to have people like you Christi to lead the way!