Genentech, Adaptive end T-cell therapy pact

Adaptive Biotechnologies and Roche’s Genentech have parted ways, terminating a long-standing deal to develop and commercialize novel neoantigen directed T-cell therapies for cancer.

The initial deal, inked in December 2018 and announced the following January, sought to combine Genentech’s leadership in cancer immunotherapy R&D with Adaptive’s proprietary T-cell receptor (TCR) discovery and immune profiling platform, TruTCR, to accelerate a new treatment paradigm of tailoring cellular therapy for each patient’s individual cancer.

Per the deal, Adaptive received $300 million upfront and was eligible to receive more than $2 billion in milestones and royalties over time

But according to Adaptive’s SEC filing, the deal was terminated — effective February 9, 2026 — and the parties will begin to wind down activities. Upon termination, Adaptive will be released from exclusivity obligations with respect to cell therapies in oncology.

As a result of the termination, Adaptive expects to recognize $33.7 million during the second half of 2025 in non-cash revenue from the remaining amortization of the cash consideration received under the agreement.

Going forward, Adaptive says it will focus on developing digital TCR-antigen prediction models that enable novel immunology applications and partnering opportunities as well as developing a preclinical data package for the company’s lead T-cell depletion program in autoimmunity.