Lyell Immunopharma Acquires Global Rights to LYL273 (GCC19CART) from ICT (Innovative Cellular Therapeutics) to Strengthen Solid Tumor Pipeline
November 11, 2025 — On November 10, Lyell Immunopharma, a company developing CAR-T cell therapies, announced the strengthening of its solid tumor pipeline through the acquisition of global rights to LYL273 (GCC19CART) from Innovative Cellular Therapeutics (ICT).
Under the terms of the licensing agreement, Lyell will obtain exclusive global rights — outside Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan — to research, develop, manufacture, and commercialize LYL273. ICT will receive a $40 million upfront cash payment and 1.9 million shares of Lyell common stock (approximately $34.2 million at $18/share).
ICT is also eligible for additional cash, including up to $30 million in clinical milestone payments, up to $115 million in late-stage regulatory milestone payments, and up to $675 million in commercial sales milestone payments. Additional equity consideration includes up to 1.85 million shares of Lyell common stock upon achieving certain clinical and late-stage regulatory milestones.
LYL273, the asset acquired by Lyell, is a novel CAR-T cell therapy candidate targeting Guanylate Cyclase-C (GCC), which is expressed in over 95% of colorectal cancers and the majority of pancreatic cancers. LYL273 is engineered with enhanced CD19 CAR expression and optimized cytokine-release control to improve CAR-T cell expansion, immune-cell infiltration, and tumor-cell killing in the harsh solid-tumor microenvironment, for the treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) and other GCC-expressing cancers.
CRC is the second leading cause of cancer death worldwide, with rising incidence among adults under 55. Among approved third-line-or-later therapies for mCRC, only 6% of patients achieve a partial or complete response to next-line treatment, with median overall survival typically under 12 months.
In a U.S. Phase 1 clinical trial as of October 28, 2025, 12 patients with refractory metastatic colorectal cancer were enrolled. At the highest dose level tested (6 patients), LYL273 demonstrated a 67% overall response rate (ORR) and 83% disease control rate (DCR), with a median progression-free survival (PFS) of 7.8 months. The overall safety profile was manageable.
Dr. Benjamin L. Schlechter, Senior Physician at the Gastrointestinal Cancer Center at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, and principal investigator of the Phase 1 trial, said: "We rarely see such deep and durable responses in heavily pretreated colorectal cancer patients. The early results from this heavily pretreated patient population are very encouraging."
Dr. Lynn Seely, MD, President and CEO of Lyell, stated: "Lyell was founded to fully realize the potential of cell therapy for solid tumors, which represent over 90% of all cancers. We believe LYL273 has the potential to be a transformative advance in cancer treatment, and colorectal cancer is an area of significant unmet need."
This deal represents another example of a Chinese-developed CAR-T cell therapy candidate going global, validating China's progression from "follower" to "leader" in cell therapy. There have been multiple such examples this year. The increasingly diverse out-licensing pathways for Chinese CAR-T programs reflect the deep work of domestic enterprises in target innovation, platform technology, and clinical data — and represent strong global recognition of China's innovative drug R&D capabilities.
Source: Company website / eMedClub News
