Pharma BD Deal Intelligence

AstraZeneca PLC / Cellectis SA

2023 · Co-Development · $605M · Complete

Outcome grade pending — assessed 5 years post-close.

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The coverage arc

Nov 28, 2023 BioSpace Bullish

AstraZeneca is pushing further into cell and gene therapy with a $2.2 billion potential deal with Cellectis covering up to 10 candidates. The pharma giant will…

Nov 28, 2023 Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News Bullish

AstraZeneca and Cellectis announced a research collaboration to design novel cell and gene therapy candidates leveraging Cellectis' TALEN gene-editing…

Mar 13, 2025 Cellectis Bullish

Cellectis FY2024 results: three programs are in initial development under the AZ JRCA — one allogeneic CAR-T for hematological malignancies, one allogeneic…

Source summaries from our enrichment pipeline; follow links for originals.

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AstraZeneca entered a research collaboration and equity investment with Cellectis (Nasdaq/Euronext: CLLS) on November 28, 2023 to design up to 10 cell and gene therapy candidates across oncology, immunology and rare disease using Cellectis' TALEN gene-editing platform and manufacturing capabilities. AstraZeneca paid $105M initially ($25M upfront cash plus an $80M equity investment at $5.00/share, ~22% stake), with each of the up to 10 candidate products eligible for an IND option fee plus development, regulatory and sales milestones ranging from $70M up to $220M per product, plus tiered royalties. AstraZeneca subsequently completed an additional $140M equity investment at $5.00/share on May 6, 2024 (after French Ministry of Economy clearance and Cellectis shareholder approval), lifting its stake to approximately 44% of share capital / 30% of voting rights and adding two AstraZeneca directors to the Cellectis board. By December 31, 2024 three programs were in initial development under the joint research collaboration agreement (two allogeneic CAR-T candidates for hematological malignancies and solid tumors, and one in vivo gene therapy for a genetic disorder), with $47M paid to Cellectis to date ($25M upfront plus $22M in development milestones). The collaboration remained active as of January 2026. AstraZeneca's equity backing extends Cellectis' cash runway into mid-2027.

Key facts

Related deals — scored

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AstraZeneca PLC / Cellectis SA (this deal)2023$605M
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AstraZeneca PLC / Acerta Pharma2015$4.0B86
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AstraZeneca PLC / MedImmune Inc.2007$15.6B82

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