Kite Pharma, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center.

Kite Pharma, Inc. has expanded its agreement with Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center to research and develop novel approaches to CAR T cell therapy in cancer immunotherapy. Kite will collaborate with Professor Zelig Eshhar, Ph.D., the leading pioneer in CART cell research and chair of Immunology Research.

"Zelig's award-winning research has been at the center of CART cell programs currently advancing in clinical studies. We are pleased to have an expanded agreement with Zelig and the Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center. We believe this collaboration will facilitate continued development and advancement of novel, efficacious, and more selective CART cell products for various tumor types," said Arie Belldegrun, MD, FACS, Kite Pharma's president and chief executive officer.

Professor Eshhar said, "I have dedicated my career to the advancement of this transformative area of medicine, and I am excited about the opportunities before us. Originally, my research had addressed the question of whether T cells can be programmed to effectively recognize and eliminate cancerous cells and to solve the central problem of how and why cancer cells escape the immune system. Now, we believe that we can further enhance this platform technology to develop a whole new generation of CAR T cell products for many tumor types. I look forward to the progress of this program."