AbbVie and Xilio Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biotechnology company discovering and developing tumor-activated immuno-oncology therapies for people living with cancer, have announced a collaboration and option-to-license agreement to develop novel tumor-activated, antibody-based immunotherapies, including masked T-cell engagers, leveraging Xilio’s proprietary technology.
Xilio has developed a proprietary, clinically-validated platform technology for tumor-activated biologics. The company is advancing a pipeline of novel, clinical and pre-clinical immunotherapies, including masked multispecific molecules designed to achieve tumor-selective activation by leveraging masking and other unique components that are optimized for the specific target. This allows focused activity within the tumor microenvironment with the goal of minimizing systemic adverse events.
“AbbVie is committed to expanding our R&D efforts in oncology. This includes investigation of novel immunotherapy approaches that aim to generate improved next-generation cancer treatments for patients in need,” said Theodora S. Ross, M.D., Ph.D., vice president, early oncology research and development, AbbVie. “This partnership with the Xilio team further exemplifies our commitment.”
“This collaboration with AbbVie, a global leader in developing and commercializing oncology therapies, allows us to accelerate the expansion of our technology to next-generation immunotherapies, including T-cell engagers,” said Uli Bialucha, Ph.D., chief scientific officer of Xilio. “We look forward to working with the AbbVie team to apply our deep protein engineering expertise coupled with tumor-selective activation through our novel formats for masked T-cell engagers.”
Under the terms of the agreement, Xilio will receive $52m in total upfront payments, including a $10m equity investment, and will be eligible to receive up to approximately $2.1bn in total contingent payments for option-related fees and milestones plus tiered royalties.
