On September 28, 2016 Zymeworks Inc., 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 Company, Limited (hereafter, Daiichi Sankyo) reported that they have entered into a cross-licensing and collaboration agreement to develop proprietary cancer immuno-oncology products (Press release, Daiichi Sankyo, SEP 28, 2016, View Source [SID:SID1234515462]). Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
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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, for which 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.
"We are very excited to enter into this cross-licensing agreement with Daiichi Sankyo," said Ali Tehrani, Ph.D., President and CEO of Zymeworks. "The in-licensing component of the transaction will enable Zymeworks to expand its therapeutic pipeline in the near term by accelerating a number of our immuno-oncology programs into the clinic and to ultimately provide more effective and targeted treatments to patients. Additionally, we believe that the licensing of Zymeworks’ platforms to Daiichi Sankyo further demonstrates the potential of the Azymetric and EFECT technologies for the discovery and development of next-generation multi-functional biologics."
"Targeting two drivers of disease with a single monoclonal antibody is a key scientific advance that may help change the standard of care for patients with cancer," said Antoine Yver, MD, MSc, Executive Vice President and Global Head, Oncology Research and Development, Daiichi Sankyo. "We are looking forward to strengthening our expertise in bi-specific immuno-oncology by working closely with Zymeworks on this collaboration."
About the Azymetric Platform
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.
About the EFECT Platform
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.