The Center for Breakthrough Medicines (CBM) Strikes Multi-Year Deal with UK Cell Therapy Powerhouse

Strategic Partnership to Deliver US Based Manufacturing Capacity for Novel Cell Therapy

KING OF PRUSSIA, Pa., April 12, 2022 /PRNewswire/ --The Center for Breakthrough Medicines (CBM) announced today a partnership with London-based Achilles Therapeutics plc (NASDAQ: ACHL). The deal provides expanded cell therapy manufacturing capabilities required to supply products for Achilles' ongoing Phase I/IIa clinical trials in advanced non-small cell lung cancer and metastatic or recurrent melanoma patients. CBM is a contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) dedicated to addressing the challenges associated with developing and manufacturing advanced therapies. Achilles is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing precision T-cell therapies to treat solid tumors.

"We are bringing together two powerful, experienced cell therapy organizations for the benefit of cancer patients," said John Lee, Ph.D., Vice President, Head of Cell Therapy, CBM. "We look forward to mobilizing our world-class cell therapy capabilities, with our first wave of cell therapy suites to enable Achilles to accelerate the development of their flagship precision T cell product candidate."

"Achilles is thrilled to partner with CBM given their experience, capabilities, available cell therapy capacity and strategic location.  After opening our US headquarters in Philadelphia, CBM's King of Prussia location was perfect for our needs," said Edward Samuel, Executive Vice President of Technical Operations at Achilles Therapeutics. "The expertise of the CBM team, along with their ability to provide on-demand, flexible access to autologous cell therapy manufacturing GMP space was vital in our decision."

CBM will manufacture Achilles' precision T cell therapy for the company's ongoing Phase I/IIa clinical trials in non-small cell lung cancer and melanoma patients.

"Our ability to deliver customizable manufacturing solutions for partners seeking autologous cell therapy production positions us well with Achilles, and we are excited to support them on their journey to bring desperately needed treatment options to cancer patients," said Audrey Greenberg, co-founder, CBM. "We employ the most sophisticated scheduling, supply chain and inventory control systems integrated with industry-leading comprehensive in-process testing, quality control, and lot release programs in the industry. Achilles' goal to deliver improved therapies to cancer patients also aligns with CBM's mission and culture."

About The Center for Breakthrough Medicines (CBM)
CBM is a purposefully built advanced therapy contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) based in the heart of Philadelphia's Cellicon Valley. CBM offers pre-clinical through commercial manufacturing capabilities including process development, plasmid DNA, viral vector, cell therapy and a full suite of testing and analytical capabilities. Through a single-source, end-to-end solution, CBM accelerates time to market without compromising quality.

About Achilles Therapeutics
Achilles is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing precision T cell therapies targeting clonal neoantigens: protein markers unique to the individual that are expressed on the surface of every cancer cell. The Company has two ongoing Phase I/IIa trials, the CHIRON trial in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and the THETIS trial in patients with recurrent or metastatic melanoma. Achilles uses DNA sequencing data from each patient, together with its proprietary PELEUS™ bioinformatics platform, to identify clonal neoantigens specific to that patient, and then develop precision T cell-based product candidates specifically targeting those clonal neoantigens.

SOURCE Center for Breakthrough Medicines