Hummingbird Bio buzzes Synaffix for $150M ADC licensing deal

Hummingbird Bioscience and Synaffix are flocking together in a new licensing pact for a next-gen antibody drug conjugate (ADC) program that gives Synaffix the chance to make up to $150 million.

Under the terms of the agreement, Synaffix will provide Hummingbird Bio access to its proprietary ADC technologies for the unnamed licensed target. In return, the Amsterdam-headquartered biotech will give Synaffix the chance to receive up to $150 million, including upfront and milestone payments plus potential royalties.

Hummingbird Bio will bring its Rational Antibody Discovery platform to the collaboration, which can generate high-affinity antibodies against unique epitopes for difficult targets, said Piers Ingram, Ph.D., CEO of Hummingbird Bio, in a Jan. 4 release.

“We believe that, by combining Synaffix’s ADC technologies with our antibodies, we have the potential to create best-in-class ADCs,” Ingram said. 

In addition to this latest collaboration, Hummingbird Bio has a discovery partnership for several undisclosed targets with Big Pharma Amgen. The biotech also has two of its own assets in clinical trials, both of which target solid tumors and are being assessed in separate phase 1 trials.   

Synaffix, a Dutch biotech developing a clinical-stage platform for ADC development, is also no stranger to making deals. In fact, the company’s business model is based on out-licensing, including partnerships with ADC Therapeutics, Mersana Therapeutics, Shanghai Miracogen, Innovent Biologics, ProfoundBio, Kyowa Kirin, Genmab, Macrogenics and Emergence Therapeutics.

The biotech uses its site-specific ADC platform based on the patented programs GlycoConnect, HydraSpace and toxSYN to allow companies with an antibody to develop ADC products under a single license.

Editor's Note: This story was edited at 12:36 p.m. ET on January 5, 2023, to correct Synaffix's headquarters location as Amsterdam.