Celgene Corp. further invested $30 million in privately held immunotherapy company NantCell Inc. bringing its total investment to $105 million.
Celgene, which is being acquired by Bristol-Myers in a $74 billion deal, now holds a 2.8% ownership in Los Angeles-based NantCell following completion of the financing.
The Summit, N.J.-based maker of blood cancer drug Revlimid first made a $75 million investment in NantCell in May 2015.
NantCell, headed and founded by billionaire Patrick Soon-Shiong, is developing a cancer vaccine to fight multiple tumor types without high-dose chemotherapy. The company owns a portfolio of biological molecules, with 27 in preclinical development while 14 in various phases of clinical development.