A roundup of bio/pharmaceutical partnering news from GlaxoSmithKline/WuXi Biologics, Moderna/CytomX, AbbVie/Anima Biotech, and Boehringer Ingelheim/3T Biosciences. 

* GSK, Wuxi Biologics In $1.5-Bn Pact for T Cell Engager Development 
* Moderna, CytomX in $1.2-Bn mRNA Drug Pact 
* AbbVie, Anima Biotech in $582-M mRNA Drug Pact
* BI, 3T Bio in $268-M Cancer Immunotherapy Pact 

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GSK, Wuxi Biologics In $1.5-Bn Pact for T Cell Engager Development 
GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and WuXi Biologics, a Wuxi, China-based contract biologics manufacturer, have entered into an agreement under which GSK will have exclusive licenses for up to four bi- and multi-specific T-cell engager (TCE) antibodies developed using WuXi Biologics’ technology platforms in a deal worth up to $1.46 billion ($40 million upfront and $1.46 billion in milestone payments). 

Under the agreement, GSK will be granted an exclusive global license for the research, development, manufacturing, and commercialization of a preclinical bispecific antibody and up to three additional preclinical TCE antibodies currently at an earlier discovery stage. 

WuXi Biologics will receive a $40 million upfront payment and up to $1.46 billion in additional payments for research, development, regulatory and commercial milestones across the four TCE antibodies. WuXi Biologics is also eligible to receive tiered royalties on net sales. 

Source: WuXi Biologics 

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Moderna, CytomX in $1.2-Bn mRNA Drug Pact 
Moderna and CytomX Therapeutics, a South San Francisco, California-based bio/pharmaceutical company specializing in activated oncology therapeutics, have agreed to create investigational mRNA-based conditionally activated therapies, in a deal worth up to $1.2 billion dollars ($35 million upfront and $1.2 billion in milestone payments). 

CytomX’s Probody technology enables proteins to be activated locally in diseased tissue while remaining masked in systemic circulation. These advances open the strategy of encoding potent, masked biologics with mRNA, for the potential treatment of a wide range of diseases. 

Moderna and CytomX will collaborate on discovery and preclinical development. Moderna will lead clinical development and commercialization of therapeutics resulting from the agreement. 

Under the agreement, CytomX will receive an upfront payment of $35 million, including $5 million of pre-paid research funding. CytomX will continue to receive research funding and is eligible to receive up to approximately $1.2 billion in future development, regulatory, and commercial milestone payments. CytomX is also eligible to receive tiered royalties on global net sales of any products that are commercialized under the agreement. The agreement additionally provides Moderna with an option to participate in a future equity financing in CytomX subject to certain terms, conditions and regulatory requirements. 

Source: Moderna  

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AbbVie, Anima Biotech in $582-M mRNA Drug Pact 
AbbVie, and Anima Biotech, a Bernardsville, New Jersey-based bio/pharmaceutical company focused on mRNA development, have entered into an agreement to discover and develop mRNA biology modulators for three targets across oncology and immunology, in a deal worth up to $582 million ($42 million upfront and $540 million in milestone payments).  

Anima will use its mRNA Lightning platform, a platform for the discovery of small-molecule mRNA drugs and their mechanisms of action, to discover mRNA biology modulators against the collaboration targets. It will provide AbbVie exclusive rights to license and further develop and commercialize the programs. 

Under the agreement, Anima will receive an upfront payment of $42 million and may be eligible to receive up to $540 million in option fees and research and development milestones in the aggregate across the three targets, with the potential for further commercial milestones as well as tiered royalties on net sales. AbbVie has an option to expand the collaboration with up to three additional targets under the same terms as the initial collaboration. 

Source: AbbVie  

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BI, 3T Bio in $268-M Cancer Immunotherapy Pact 
Boehringer Ingelheim (BI) and 3T Biosciences, a San Francisco, California-based bio/pharmaceutical company, have entered into an agreement to discover and develop cancer therapies, in a deal worth up to $268 million.  

3T‘s platform aims to identify shared T-cell receptor (TCR) targets of productive immune responses. The platform identifies the most prevalent and immunogenic targets in solid tumors by combining high-diversity target libraries with active machine learning. The partnership will bring together 3T Biosciences’ discovery platform with BI’s two-pronged research strategy combining cancer cell-directed and immune cell-targeting compounds.  

Under the agreement, BI will provide TCR data to fuel 3T’s target discovery efforts to identify antigens using its discovery platform. 3T will receive an upfront payment and research and development support, and is eligible for discovery, preclinical, clinical, regulatory, and commercial milestones totaling $268 million in addition to royalties on future BI product sales. BI is eligible to receive royalties on future product sales by 3T Biosciences arising from the agreement.  

Source: Boehringer Ingelheim