What do you get when you combine the established cancer modality of antibody-drug conjugation (ADC) with targeted protein degradation? An intriguing new class of antibody drugs called degrader-antibody conjugates (DACs)—and Seagen is keen to get in on the ground floor.
The ADC-focused company is paying $60 million to Nurix Therapeutics to collaborate on a portfolio of cancer-killing DACs. The idea is to apply Nurix’s DELigase targeted protein degrader tech to improve on the payloads currently used by ADCs, creating a suite of new antibody drugs with an improved ability to selectively kill cancer cells.
“By combining the tissue and tumor specificity of antibodies with highly potent and catalytic targeted degradation of cancer driver proteins, we believe that DACs may represent a next generation of cancer medicine for a wide range of solid tumors and hematologic malignancies,” Nurix CEO Arthur Sands, M.D., Ph.D., said in the release. “With Seagen, our strategic goal is to advance ADC technology to the next level to provide patients with new DAC drugs that deliver greater anti-tumor efficacy and safety compared to currently available agents.”
Under the agreement, Nurix will use its DELigase platform to develop a suite of targeted protein degraders. The specific targets will be picked by Seagen, which was bought by Pfizer earlier this year, and will be suitable for antibody conjugation. Seagen will then be responsible for conjugating these degraders to antibodies—turning them into DACs—and advancing the candidates to clinical trials and hopefully the market.
“Given the potential to conjugate multiple antibodies to unique degraders, several DAC drugs may be developed and commercialized within this collaboration,” Nurix explained.
In return, Nurix will be eligible for up $3.4 billion in combined research, development, regulatory and commercial milestone payments across all the programs.
Protein degradation dissolves potentially problematic proteins by linking them to ubiquitin ligase, spurring protein degradation and turnover. Nurix’s expertise in this area has already seen it score collaborations with the likes of Sanofi and Gilead Sciences, with the U.S. Big Pharma licensing an IRAK4 degrader in April as a potential therapy for inflammatory diseases. The biotech’s most advanced asset is a BTK degrader called NX-2127 in phase 1b study for non-Hodgkin lymphomas.
The Nurix deal comes at a peculiar time for Seagen, as the Pfizer acquisition rolls on. The $43 billion merger is expected to close in late 2023 or early 2024.