Jazz Pharmaceuticals is looking to bolster its oncology research bona fides via a partnership with AbCellera to discover and develop T-cell-engaging (TCE) antibodies that could result in up to $792 million in biobucks for each program that Jazz options.
The deal includes an upfront payment of $56 million, with most the rest of the potential value coming via option fees and milestone payments if Jazz chooses to develop programs discovered through the collaboration, according to a Wednesday release.
Jazz Chief Scientific Officer Josh Allen, Ph.D., said the deal aligns with the company’s oncology strategy and that Jazz is looking to leverage AbCellera’s antibody discovery engine to identify candidates for multiple gastrointestinal cancers and other solid tumors.
AbCellera’s TCE platform is designed to move candidates from discovery to manufacturing while identifying multispecific TCEs for difficult-to-treat cancers. The platform includes novel and proprietary panels of CD3-binding antibodies, costimulatory targeting arms, multispecific protein engineering technology and other capabilities.
Under the agreement, AbCellera will work on two early-stage programs and will begin work on a third program within 12 months. Jazz is granted an option on each program and will have exclusive global rights to develop and commercialize the assets if it chooses. The initial $56 million upfront payment will be followed by $28 million when work on the third program is initiated.
If Jazz chooses to option any of the programs, AbCellera is eligible to receive up to $792 million per program in option fees, development, regulatory and commercial sales milestone payments, along with tiered royalties. The two companies may also agree to initiate up to two additional programs and have AbCellera conduct other investigational studies and manufacture clinical supply for programs in the partnership.
Vancouver-based AbCellera made headlines by producing the first antibody drug against COVID-19 in partnership with Eli Lilly and was named to the 2020 Fierce 15 for its promise to speed up the R&D process.
Jazz previously found success with zanidatamab, a HER2-targeted bispecific antibody for multiple cancers, but this partnership will push the company into the TCE space. Earlier this month, however, Jazz announced that its phase 3 Lagoon trial failed its primary endpoint of overall survival for its small cell lung cancer drug Zepzelca, putting its long-held accelerated approval in jeopardy.
Jazz is hoping that engine can power the collaboration toward new TCE candidates. “TCEs drive highly targeted immune activation, which has the potential to significantly advance outcomes relative to existing treatments in these cancers,” said Carl Hansen, Ph.D., founder and CEO of AbCellera, in a statement.