More Haste, Less Speed: Could Public-Private Partnerships Advance Cellular Immunotherapies?
Tania Bubela1, Katherine Bonter2, Silvy Lachance2,3,4
1Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada.
Abstract:
Cellular immunotherapies promise to transform cancer care. However, they must overcome serious challenges, including: (1) the need to identify and characterize novel cancer antigens to expand the range of therapeutic targets; (2) the need to develop strategies to minimize serious adverse events, such as cytokine release syndrome and treatment-related toxicities; and (3) the need to develop efficient production/manufacturing processes to reduce costs. Here, we discuss whether these challenges might better be addressed through forms of public-private research collaborations, including public-private partnerships (PPPs), or whether these challenges are best addressed by way of standard market transactions. We reviewed 14 public-private relationships and 25 underlying agreements for the clinical development of cancer cellular immunotherapies in the US. Most were based on bilateral research agreements and pure market transactions in the form of service contracts and technology licenses, which is representative of the commercialization focus of the field. We make the strategic case that multiparty PPPs may better advance cancer antigen discovery and characterization and improved cell processing/manufacturing and related activities. In the rush toward the competitive end of the translational continuum for cancer cellular immunotherapy and the attendant focus on commercialization, many gaps have appeared in our understanding of cellular biology, immunology, and bioengineering. We conclude that the model of bilateral agreements between leading research institutions and the private sector may be inadequate to efficiently harness the interdisciplinary skills and knowledge of the public and private sectors to bring these promising therapies to the clinic for the benefit of cancer patients.
Insights
Public-private partnerships (PPPs) may better address challenges in cellular immunotherapy development, including antigen discovery and manufacturing, compared to standard market transactions. Current bilateral agreements may be insufficient for advancing these complex cancer therapies.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Immunology
- Bioengineering
- Health Services Research
Background:
- Cellular immunotherapies offer transformative potential in cancer treatment.
- Significant challenges impede clinical translation, including novel antigen identification, managing adverse events like cytokine release syndrome, and optimizing manufacturing processes.
- Current commercialization strategies primarily rely on bilateral agreements and market transactions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate whether public-private research collaborations, specifically public-private partnerships (PPPs), are more effective than standard market transactions in addressing key challenges in cancer cellular immunotherapy development.
- To analyze existing public-private relationships and agreements in the clinical development of cancer cellular immunotherapies in the US.
Main Methods:
- Review of 14 public-private relationships and 25 underlying agreements for US-based cancer cellular immunotherapy clinical development.
- Analysis of the predominant models of collaboration, focusing on bilateral research agreements and market transactions (service contracts, technology licenses).
Main Results:
- The field predominantly utilizes bilateral research agreements and market transactions, reflecting a strong commercialization focus.
- Multiparty PPPs are proposed as a potentially superior model for advancing cancer antigen discovery, characterization, and cell processing/manufacturing.
- Gaps in understanding cellular biology, immunology, and bioengineering have emerged due to the competitive focus on commercialization.
Conclusions:
- The current model of bilateral agreements may be inadequate for efficiently integrating public and private sector expertise.
- Multiparty PPPs could better harness interdisciplinary skills to overcome critical hurdles in cellular immunotherapy development.
- A shift towards more collaborative, multiparty structures may be necessary to accelerate the clinical translation of these promising cancer therapies.
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