AbCellera (ABCL) announced the expansion of its existing collaboration with AbbVie Inc. to include the discovery and development of T-cell engagers for oncology.
This expansion built upon the successful partnership established in December 2022, granting AbbVie access to AbCellera’s TCE platform to develop therapeutic antibodies targeting various tumor-specific antigens. The expanded agreement aimed to accelerate the development of novel oncology treatments by combining AbCellera’s innovative technology with AbbVie’s expertise in oncology research, creating new possibilities for cancer immunotherapies.
Under the terms of the expanded agreement, AbCellera led discovery activities, utilizing its proprietary platform to identify and develop potential therapeutic antibodies. AbbVie, in turn, had the exclusive right to further develop and commercialize any resulting therapeutic antibodies from the collaboration. AbCellera received upfront and research payments to support its discovery efforts, with the potential for additional financial rewards.
AbCellera was also eligible to receive milestone payments tied to the successful progress of the project, as well as tiered royalty payments based on the net sales of any resulting products that were commercialized. This financial arrangement allowed AbCellera to benefit from the potential success of the therapeutic antibodies developed through the collaboration, both immediately and in the future.
Carl Hansen, Ph.D., founder and CEO of AbCellera, added:
“We are pleased to broaden our AbbVie collaboration and look forward to using AbCellera’s TCE platform to bring novel cancer immunotherapies to patients in need.”
AbCellera’s T-cell engager platform
AbCellera’s T-cell engager platform was designed to overcome the challenges in developing CD3 T-cell engagers, which have the potential to become a cornerstone of cancer treatment. These engagers work by guiding the immune system to target and eliminate cancer cells, binding simultaneously to tumor-specific targets and the CD3 protein on cancer-killing T cells. This dual binding mechanism helps to enhance the body’s natural immune response against tumors. However, the development of effective T-cell engagers had been limited due to issues surrounding their efficacy and safety in clinical settings.
To address these challenges, AbCellera developed a novel T-cell engager platform that incorporated innovative CD3-binding antibodies, which helped expand the therapeutic window for these therapies. The platform also included costimulatory building blocks designed to enhance the efficacy of T-cell engagers, particularly in treating difficult-to-treat cancers. This innovative approach aimed to improve the performance of T-cell engagers, making them a more viable and effective treatment option in the fight against cancer.
About AbCellera Biologics Inc.
AbCellera is a leader in discovering and developing antibody medicines for a wide variety of indications, spanning therapeutic areas such as cancer, metabolic and endocrine conditions, and autoimmune disorders. The company’s innovative approach integrated cutting-edge technology, advanced data science, robust infrastructure, and highly skilled interdisciplinary teams to tackle some of the most complex and challenging problems in antibody discovery. This comprehensive platform enabled AbCellera to accelerate the development of promising therapeutic antibodies, aiming to address unmet medical needs across different disease areas.
Focused on advancing both first-in-class and best-in-class programs, AbCellera worked tirelessly to build an internal pipeline of groundbreaking antibody-based therapies. In addition to its internal efforts, the company collaborated with a broad range of partners to advance innovative drug development programs, bringing novel therapies to the forefront of medical research. Through these collaborations, AbCellera sought to leverage its expertise and technology to accelerate the discovery and development of new treatments that could transform patient care.