Date: 2016-08-25
Type of information: Collaboration agreement
Compound: multispecific antibody platform to deliver therapeutics across the blood-brain barrier
Company: Denali Therapeutics (USA - CA) F-star (UK)
Therapeutic area: CNS diseases
Type agreement: collaboration development
Action mechanism: multispecific antibody/bispeciic antibody
Disease:
Details: * On August 25, 2016, F-star, a biopharmaceutical company developing novel bispecific antibodies, announced a collaborative agreement with Denali Therapeutics, a biotechnology company focused on neurodegenerative disorders, to research and develop antibodies for the delivery of medicines across the blood-brain barrier (BBB) into the central nervous system (CNS). The collaboration will leverage F-star’s Modular Antibody Technology™ and Denali’s expertise in the development of therapeutics for neurological diseases to generate Fcabs™ (constant Fc-domains with antigen-binding activity) which can bind to transporters in the BBB. Using the “plug-and-play” properties of the platform, these Fcabs can be rapidly inserted into any existing antibody to generate a full size bispecific antibody (mAb² ™) which can both cross the BBB, as well as bind to specific targets within the CNS. This mechanism has the potential to treat neurological diseases by acting on specific targets in the brain.
Financial terms: Under the agreement, Denali will make upfront payments to F-star totalling $6 million. Denali has the option to nominate a pre-specified number of Fcab targets. F-star Gamma will also receive research funding and is eligible for technical milestone payments. In addition, Denali also has the option to acquire F-star Gamma prior to the initiation of the first Phase 1 clinical trial in return for aggregate exercise and milestone payments to the F-star Gamma shareholders of up to $450M in total. If Denali does not exercise the option to acquire F-star Gamma, it has the right to license a pre-specified number of mAb² based on each Fcab generated by F-star Gamma, in return for license fees, development, regulatory and commercial milestones payments with a potential aggregate value of $1B and tiered royalties on product sales.
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