HCW Biologics Inc. announced it has terminated its exclusive worldwide license agreement with Wugen Inc., regaining full ex vivo rights to its immunotherapeutic molecules HCW9201 and HCW9206. This strategic move allows HCW Biologics to pursue new partnerships to commercialize the commercial-ready reagents for the CAR-T and NK-cell therapy markets.
Key Details
- Agreement Terminated: Effective May 21, 2026, the company exercised its option to terminate the license agreement with Wugen Inc. for the ex vivo rights to molecules HCW9201 and HCW9206.
- Financial Impact: HCW Biologics regained the rights at no cost and retained the original nonrefundable upfront license fee from Wugen, which included 2.2 million shares of Wugen common stock.
- Strategic Rationale: The company plans to commercialize the reagents through new corporate partners, citing recent data suggesting the molecules can reduce CAR-T production costs and improve therapeutic efficacy.