Regeneron Pharmaceuticals and CytomX Therapeutics have announced a collaboration and licensing agreement to create conditionally-activated investigational bispecific cancer therapies utilizing CytomX’s Probody therapeutic platform and Regeneron’s Veloci-Bi bispecific antibody development platform.
The collaboration is strategically focused on applying CytomX’s biologic masking strategies to develop investigational Regeneron bispecifics that remain inactive until activated by proteases in the tumor microenvironment. This technology has the potential to widen the therapeutic window and help minimize off-target effects for these next-generation T-cell engaging therapies, potentially addressing tumor types that have historically been unresponsive to immunotherapy.
“At Regeneron, we’re focused on developing a paradigm-changing portfolio of oncology medicines for patients, by combining a deep understanding of cancer biology with cutting-edge technologies,” said John Lin, M.D., Ph.D., Senior Vice President, Immuno-oncology and Head of Bispecifics, at Regeneron. “This collaboration will enable Regeneron and CytomX to combine our collective oncology expertise with two premier platforms – Probody and Veloci-Bi – to develop novel immunotherapies and research their potential to transform patient lives.”
“CytomX has pioneered the field of conditionally-activated therapeutics through high quality and differentiated science, leading to broad experience in biologic masking strategies and a deep understanding of the protease tumor microenvironment,” said Sean McCarthy, D. Phil, CEO and Chairman of CytomX. “We are thrilled that our scientific expertise has attracted Regeneron as our newest collaborator, and we look forward to working closely together to further optimize T-cell engager strategies and push the boundaries of cancer immunotherapy to new levels.”
Under the agreement, Regeneron and CytomX will collaborate on the discovery activities to identify and validate conditionally active bispecific antibodies. Regeneron will be responsible for funding preclinical and clinical development and commercialization activities. CytomX will receive an upfront payment of $30 million and will be eligible to receive future target nomination payments and preclinical, clinical, and commercial milestones of up to $2 billion. CytomX is also eligible to receive tiered global net sales royalties.
