Company Description
Adaptimmune Therapeutics plc (ADAP) is a biopharmaceutical company focused on cell therapies for cancer. The company describes itself as a fully integrated or integrated cell therapy company that is working to redefine how cancer is treated by developing personalized medicines designed to target and destroy difficult-to-treat solid tumor cancers. Adaptimmune uses a unique engineered T cell receptor (TCR) platform to engineer T-cells to recognize and attack cancer cells across multiple solid tumor types.
Adaptimmune is incorporated in England and Wales and has operations in both Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Oxford, United Kingdom, as referenced in multiple press releases. The company’s American Depositary Shares (ADSs), each representing six ordinary shares, have traded on The Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol ADAP, as noted in several Form 8-K filings. In October 2025, the Board of Directors authorized a plan to voluntarily delist the ADSs from Nasdaq and deregister them under Section 12(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, with the company indicating that it expects trading of its ADSs to move to an over-the-counter market following suspension on Nasdaq.
Business focus and therapeutic area
According to its public statements, Adaptimmune’s core focus is on solid tumor cancers. The company has developed engineered TCR T-cell therapies intended to offer new options for patients whose cancers are difficult to treat with existing approaches. Its work has centered on sarcoma and other solid tumor indications, and it has described a sarcoma franchise built around products such as TECELRA and lete-cel in its news releases.
In August 2024, Adaptimmune reported that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved its first biologics license application (BLA) for TECELRA (afamitresgene autoleucel), which it describes as the first engineered T-cell therapy for the treatment of a solid tumor cancer approved in the U.S. Later disclosures explain that Tecelra is used for advanced MAGE-A4 positive synovial sarcoma in adults with certain HLA types who have received prior chemotherapy. The company has also discussed lete-cel, another engineered TCR T-cell therapy for synovial sarcoma and myxoid/round cell liposarcoma (MRCLS), and uza-cel, a next-generation engineered TCR T-cell therapy developed in collaboration with Galapagos.
Commercial and pipeline assets
Adaptimmune’s news releases describe a progression from clinical-stage development to commercial activity. Tecelra is referred to as the first commercial product in the company’s sarcoma franchise, with details on launch metrics such as Authorized Treatment Centers (ATCs), patient aphereses, and invoiced doses. The company has reported that its manufacturing organization achieved a 100% commercial manufacturing success rate through certain reporting periods, and that it has built a network of ATCs in the United States to deliver Tecelra.
Lete-cel has been highlighted as the next product in the sarcoma franchise. Adaptimmune has reported pivotal trial results from the IGNYTE-ESO trial, including an overall response rate and complete responses in patients with synovial sarcoma and MRCLS, and has discussed plans to initiate a rolling BLA submission for lete-cel. Uza-cel has been described as a clinical candidate in collaboration with Galapagos, including plans for proof-of-concept trials using a decentralized manufacturing platform.
Beyond these later-stage therapies, Adaptimmune has disclosed preclinical assets, including a PRAME-directed T-cell therapy and a CD70-directed TRuC therapy. The company has stated that it is seeking or evaluating strategic options in relation to these preclinical programs and has implemented cost reductions affecting them.
Strategic transactions and restructuring
In July 2025, Adaptimmune announced that it had entered into, and then completed, an asset purchase transaction with USWM CT, LLC, a subsidiary of US WorldMeds Partners, LLC. Under this transaction, Adaptimmune sold the assets and rights related to Tecelra, lete-cel, afami-cel and uza-cel cell therapies, along with related intellectual property, regulatory authorizations, contracts, equipment and inventory. The company’s Form 8-K filings and press releases explain that US WorldMeds agreed to pay an upfront cash amount with potential future milestone payments tied to regulatory and commercial achievements for Tecelra and lete-cel.
As part of this transaction, Adaptimmune agreed to provide certain transition services to US WorldMeds and to license residual intellectual property rights necessary for the manufacture and commercialization of the transferred products. The company has stated that U.S. employees involved in the development and commercialization of the transferred assets would be offered employment with US WorldMeds. Following closing, Adaptimmune reported that it had repaid its debt facility with Hercules Capital, Inc.
Adaptimmune has also described significant restructuring activities. Press releases and Form 8-K filings refer to reductions in headcount, cost-saving measures, and a shift in focus toward maximizing value from remaining assets such as PRAME and CD70 programs. The company has disclosed that it is evaluating or has evaluated strategic options for its programs and overall corporate structure, including engaging advisors to review alternatives.
Listing status and planned delisting
Several Form 8-K filings describe Adaptimmune’s interactions with Nasdaq regarding its listing status. The company received notices that its ADSs did not meet the minimum bid price requirement and later that they were subject to the Low Priced Stocks Rule. Nasdaq granted exception periods and allowed the transfer of the listing from the Nasdaq Global Select Market to the Nasdaq Capital Market, providing additional time to regain compliance.
On October 16, 2025, the company notified Nasdaq of its intention to file a Form 25 to effect the voluntary delisting of its ADSs from The Nasdaq Capital Market and to deregister the ADSs under Section 12(b) of the Exchange Act. Adaptimmune’s October 2025 press release states that it expects trading of its ADSs on Nasdaq to be suspended following the close of trading on or about October 27, 2025, and that it currently expects its ADSs to be quoted on the OTC Pink Limited Market, although there is no guarantee that a broker will continue to make a market in the ADSs. The company has also indicated that, following the delisting, it intends to file a Form 15 to suspend its reporting obligations under the Exchange Act, once it meets the relevant shareholder threshold.
Financial reporting and going concern disclosures
Adaptimmune’s quarterly and annual updates, as summarized in its press releases and Form 8-K filings, include detailed financial information such as revenue, research and development expenses, selling, general and administrative expenses, net income or loss, and liquidity metrics. The company uses a non-GAAP measure called Total Liquidity, defined as the total of cash and cash equivalents and marketable securities, and explains that management reviews this measure as part of its assessment of solvency, liquidity, financial flexibility and capital position.
The company’s disclosures have also referenced a going concern discussion in its Annual Report on Form 10-K, noting that there is substantial doubt about its ability to continue as a going concern and that it is implementing cost reduction measures and exploring strategic options. These statements provide context for the restructuring actions, asset sale to US WorldMeds, and the decision to delist from Nasdaq and suspend Exchange Act reporting obligations.
Corporate governance and leadership changes
Adaptimmune has reported multiple changes to its executive leadership team through Form 8-K filings and press releases. These include departures of senior executives such as the Chief Commercial Officer, Chief Medical Officer, Chief Scientific Officer, and Chief Financial Officer by reason of redundancy, along with related separation or severance agreements. The company has also disclosed the engagement of a new Chief Financial Officer through a consulting agreement with CJH Financial Limited, outlining responsibilities for accounting and finance functions and liaison with independent auditors.
Earlier communications noted that certain long-standing executives and co-founders planned to step down as part of broader restructuring and cost-saving efforts, and that the company intended to concentrate an increasing proportion of its corporate functions in the United States while maintaining its corporate structure in England and Wales.
Regulatory and scientific presence
Adaptimmune’s news releases highlight its presence in scientific and medical forums. The company has reported poster presentations and platform talks at conferences such as the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) and the Connective Tissue Oncology Society (CTOS), covering topics including mechanisms of anti-tumor activity for afami-cel (Tecelra), long-term survival data, and pivotal trial analyses for lete-cel. It has also referenced publications in peer-reviewed journals related to its TCR T-cell therapies and target antigens.
In addition, Adaptimmune has noted external recognition for Tecelra and for the company itself, including mentions in media and awards that recognize companies working on technologies and therapies that may transform industries and patient care. These references underscore the company’s role in the development and commercialization of engineered TCR T-cell therapies for solid tumors.
Current focus after asset sale
Following the sale of Tecelra, lete-cel, afami-cel and uza-cel to US WorldMeds, Adaptimmune has stated that it is restructuring to support the transition of those therapies and to maximize value from its remaining assets, particularly its preclinical PRAME-directed T-cell therapy and CD70-directed TRuC therapy. The company has indicated that it is looking for strategic options in relation to these assets and has implemented additional cost reductions affecting these programs.
Investors and researchers examining ADAP as a stock or as a case study in cell therapy development can use these disclosures to understand the company’s evolution from a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical issuer with a Nasdaq listing and a commercial product, to a company that has transferred key commercial and clinical assets, reduced its workforce, and chosen to delist and deregister its ADSs while focusing on remaining preclinical programs and strategic alternatives.