AbbVie (NYSE: ABBV) and Capstan Therapeutics, Inc. ("Capstan"), a clinical-stage biotechnology company dedicated to advancing in vivo engineering of cells through RNA delivery using tLNPs, today announced a definitive agreement under which AbbVie will acquire Capstan, including CPTX2309, a potential first-in-class in vivo tLNP anti-CD19 CAR-T therapy candidate, currently in Phase 1, in development for the treatment of B cell-mediated autoimmune diseases. Additionally, AbbVie will acquire Capstan's proprietary tLNP platform technology designed to deliver RNA payloads, such as mRNA, capable of engineering specific cell types in vivo.

艾伯维（纽约证券交易所代码：ABBV）和 Capstan Therapeutics, Inc.（“Capstan”）今日宣布达成最终协议。Capstan 是一家临床阶段生物技术公司，致力于利用 tLNP（tRNA 载体）递送 RNA，推进 体内 细胞工程改造。艾伯维将收购 Capstan，包括其潜在的首创 tLNP 抗 CD19 CAR-T 疗法候选药物 CPTX2309，该药物目前处于 I 期临床试验阶段，用于治疗 B 细胞介导的自身免疫性疾病。此外，艾伯维还将收购 Capstan 专有的 tLNP 平台技术，该技术旨在递送 RNA 有效载荷（例如 mRNA），从而能够 在体内改造特定类型的细胞。

"Scientific innovation is required to address not just the symptoms of autoimmune diseases, but also to resolve and potentially cure the underlying disease," said Roopal Thakkar, M.D., executive vice president, research and development and chief scientific officer, AbbVie. "By advancing CPTX2309 and utilizing Capstan's novel platform technology, AbbVie and Capstan aim to transform the care of those living with autoimmune diseases by developing treatments that have the potential to reset the immune system."

艾伯维研发执行副总裁兼首席科学官Roopal Thakkar医学博士表示：“科学创新不仅要解决自身免疫性疾病的症状，更要解决甚至治愈潜在疾病。通过推进 CPTX2309 并利用 Capstan 的全新平台技术，艾伯维和 Capstan 旨在通过开发可能重塑免疫系统的疗法，改变自身免疫性疾病患者的护理。”

"In vivo CAR-T represents a potential new treatment modality in medicine – embodying the transformative power of cell therapy with the accessibility and scalability of an off-the-shelf biologic. This technology has the potential to become a first-in-class platform to treat a wide range of autoimmune diseases," said Laura Shawver, Ph.D., president and chief executive officer, Capstan. "Through AbbVie's world-leading expertise in immunology research, clinical development, and its commercialization capabilities, we believe that this transaction moves us closer to delivering on our shared mission to bring these innovative therapies to patients in need."

Capstan 总裁兼首席执行官 Laura Shawver 博士表示：“体内CAR-T 疗法代表着医学领域一种潜在的全新治疗模式——它融合了细胞疗法的变革力量，并兼具现成生物制剂的可及性和可扩展性。这项技术有望成为治疗多种自身免疫性疾病的首创平台。凭借 AbbVie 在免疫学研究、临床开发及其商业化能力方面世界领先的专业知识，我们相信，此次交易将使我们更接近实现共同使命，将这些创新疗法带给有需要的患者。”

B cells contribute to the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases. CD19 is a cell surface receptor expressed on B cells and is a clinically validated target for B cell depletion using ex vivo CAR-T cell therapy in autoimmune diseases. CPTX2309, a product of Capstan's proprietary technology platform that includes hepatic de-targeting, delivers an mRNA payload encoding an anti-CD19 CAR preferentially to reprogram CD8-expressing cytotoxic T cells. This process is achieved in vivo, without the need for lymphodepletion preconditioning and complex ex vivo manufacturing. The in vivo-modified CD8-expressing T cells will transiently express the CD19 CAR and deplete B cells in the periphery and tissues. Depletion of autoreactive antibody-producing pathogenic memory B cells and repopulation with naïve B cells, resulting in immune reset, has the potential to prevent disease progression and induce clinical remission.

B 细胞参与自身免疫性疾病的发病机制。CD19 是一种表达于 B 细胞的细胞表面受体，是经临床验证的用于治疗自身免疫性疾病的体外CAR-T 细胞疗法去除 B 细胞的靶点。CPTX2309 是 Capstan 专有技术平台的一款产品，该平台包含肝脏去靶向功能，可递送编码抗 CD19 CAR 的 mRNA 有效载荷，优先重编程表达 CD8 的细胞毒性 T 细胞。该过程在体内实现，无需淋巴细胞清除预处理和复杂的体外制造。体内修饰的表达 CD8 的 T 细胞将暂时表达 CD19 CAR 并去除外周和组织中的 B 细胞。去除产生自身反应性抗体的致病记忆 B 细胞并重新植入幼稚 B 细胞，从而实现免疫重置，有可能阻止疾病进展并诱导临床缓解。

Under the terms of the agreement, AbbVie will pay up to $2.1 billion in cash at closing to acquire Capstan, subject to certain customary adjustments. The transaction is subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions, including expiration of the applicable waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act.

根据协议条款，艾伯维将在交易完成时支付高达21亿美元现金收购Capstan，但需遵守某些惯例调整。该交易须满足惯例成交条件，包括《哈特-斯科特-罗迪诺反垄断改进法》规定的适用等待期到期。

Capstan's exclusive financial advisor was Centerview Partners LLC and Cooley LLP served as legal advisor.

Capstan 的独家财务顾问是 Centerview Partners LLC，Cooley LLP 担任法律顾问。

About AbbVie

关于艾伯维

AbbVie's mission is to discover and deliver innovative medicines and solutions that solve serious health issues today and address the medical challenges of tomorrow. We strive to have a remarkable impact on people's lives across several key therapeutic areas including immunology, oncology, neuroscience and eye care – and products and services in our Allergan Aesthetics portfolio.

AbbVie的使命是发现并提供创新药物和解决方案，以解决当今严重的健康问题，并应对未来的医学挑战。我们力求在包括免疫学、肿瘤学、神经科学和眼科在内的几个关键治疗领域，以及我们Allergan Aesthetics产品组合中的产品和服务，对人们的生活产生显著影响。

About Capstan Therapeutics, Inc

关于Capstan Therapeutics公司

Capstan is a clinical-stage biotechnology company with a mission to multiply the therapeutic possibilities for patients by developing targeted

卡普斯坦是一家临床阶段的生物技术公司，其使命是通过开发靶向疗法来为患者增加治疗可能性。

in vivo RNA technologies. Our proprietary CellSeeker™ tLNP platform technology is composed of novel LNPs conjugated with a recombinant protein binder, such as a monoclonal antibody, that deliver an RNA payload capable of engineering cells

体内RNA技术。我们专有的CellSeeker™ tLNP平台技术由新型脂质纳米颗粒（LNPs）与重组蛋白结合物（如单克隆抗体）组成，能够递送一种可对细胞进行工程改造的RNA载荷。

in vivo . Capstan's initial focus is on developing

体内。绞盘的初始焦点是开发

in vivo CAR-T therapies designed to combine the potency of CAR-T therapy with the convenience of an off-the-shelf product for the treatment of autoimmune diseases.  For more information, please visit

体内设计的CAR-T疗法旨在将CAR-T疗法的效力与现成产品的便利性结合起来，用于治疗自身免疫疾病。欲了解更多信息，请访问