Date: 2017-01-09
Type of information: R&D agreement
Compound: T-cell engaging bispecific immunotherapies
Company: Amgen (USA - CA) Immatics (Germany)
Therapeutic area: Cancer - Oncology
Type agreement: R&D licensing
Action mechanism: immunotherapy product/bispecific antibody. T-cell engaging bispecifics leverage the body's immune system by redirecting the T-cell response towards cancer cells expressing specific tumor antigens. Immatics' TCR-bispecifics and Amgen's BiTE® antibody constructs each possess two or more binding domains. One such binding domain specific to an intracellular antigen discovered by XPRESIDENT® presented on the surface of a cancer cell; another such binding domain is designed to recognize a T-cell activator, such as CD3. This approach allows every T-cell to become activated and able to attack the tumor, independent of the T-cells' intrinsic specificity. This bispecific approach is designed to improve the immunotherapies' ability to eradicate malignant cells while avoiding damage to healthy tissues.
Disease:
Details: * On January 9, 2017, Amgen and Immatics Biotechnologies announced a research collaboration and exclusive license agreement to develop next-generation, T-cell engaging bispecific immunotherapies targeting multiple cancers. The collaboration will combine Immatics' world-leading XPRESIDENT® target discovery and T-cell receptor (TCR) capabilities with Amgen's validated Bispecific T-cell Engager (BiTE®) technology with the aim of creating novel oncology drugs. Amgen will be responsible for the clinical development, manufacturing and commercialization worldwide.
Financial terms: Under the terms of the agreement, Immatics will receive an upfront fee of $30 million and is eligible to receive over $500 million in development, regulatory and commercial milestone payments for each program and tiered royalties up to a double-digit percentage of net sales.
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