Abata: engineering targeted Treg cell therapies with TCRs

Launching with a Third Rock Ventures-led $95 million series A round, Abata joins a growing group of companies developing targeted regulatory T cell therapies for autoimmune disorders, starting with progressive multiple sclerosis. 

First-generation Treg cell therapies failed to advance because the unmodified cells weren’t potent enough and were difficult to isolate and expand. However, a new generation of companies is emerging with Tregs that are engineered with CAR or TCR constructs to target them to specific cells, and modifications that enhance persistence, potency and stability. ...