Date: 2017-07-18
Type of information: Milestone
Compound: Azymetric™ and Effector Function Enhancement and Control Technology (EFECT™) platforms
Company: Daiichi Sankyo (Japan) Zymeworks (Canada)
Therapeutic area: Cancer - Oncology
Type agreement: licensing - collaboration
Action mechanism:
- bispecific antibody/protein. The EFECT™ platform is a library of antibody Fc modifications engineered to modulate the activity of the antibody-mediated immune response, which includes both the up and down-regulation of effector functions. This platform is compatible with traditional monoclonal and well as Azymetric™ bi-specific antibodies to further enable the customization of therapeutic responses for different diseases.
Bi-specific antibodies developed using the Azymetric™ platform resemble conventional mono-specific antibodies while being able to simultaneously bind to two different targets resulting in additive or synergistic therapeutic responses. Azymetric™ antibodies spontaneously assemble into a single molecule with two different Fab domains comprising of unique heavy and light chain pairings. Azymetric™ antibodies are manufactured using conventional monoclonal antibody processes and can be easily adapted to rapidly screen target and sequence combinations for bi-specific activity in the final therapeutic format, thereby significantly reducing drug development timelines.
Disease:
Details:
- • On September 26, 2016, Zymeworks, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company discovering and developing innovative multi-functional protein-based therapeutics including bi-specific antibodies and drug conjugates for the treatment of cancer, and Daiichi Sankyo have entered into a cross-licensing and collaboration agreement to develop proprietary cancer immuno-oncology products. Under the terms of the agreement, Daiichi Sankyo will acquire a license to Zymeworks’ Azymetric™ and Effector Function Enhancement and Control Technology (EFECT™) platforms to develop a bi-specific antibody therapeutic.
Financial terms:
- Zymeworks will receive an upfront technology access fee and research support. Zymeworks will also be eligible to receive payments upon the achievement of preclinical, clinical and commercial milestones, as well as up to double-digit tiered royalties on global product sales. Additionally, Zymeworks will license immuno-oncology antibodies from Daiichi Sankyo, with the right to research, develop and commercialize multiple bi-specific products globally in exchange for royalties on product sales. Further financial details are not disclosed.
Latest news:
- • On July 18, 2017, Zymeworks and Daiichi Sankyo announced the successful achievement of a research milestone for an immuno-oncology bispecific antibody therapeutic candidate in their collaboration. In conjunction with this milestone achievement, Zymeworks is to receive a milestone payment of one million dollars from Daiichi Sankyo.
Is general: Yes
