Medigene and WuXi Biologics Enter into a Research Collaboration for Off-the-Shelf TCR-Guided T-Cell Engagers

Medigene AG and WuXi Biologics enter into a three-year, multi-target strategic partnership to design and co-research T cell receptor (TCR)-guided T Cell Engagers (TCR-TCEs) for the treatment of difficult-to-treat tumors.

The collaboration combines the respective expertise of each company with Medigene’s 3S (sensitive, specific, and safe) TCR generation and characterization capabilities and WuXi Biologics’ unique anti-CD3 mAb, its industry-leading TCE platform and proprietary bispecific antibody platform WuXiBody.

“We are confident that Medigene’s known capabilities in generating potential best-in-class 3S TCRs for TCR-T cell therapies can also be applied to non-cellular modalities.

As such, we are delighted to be able to partner with WuXi Biologics with their validated anti-CD3 mAb, and its industry-leading TCE platform and WuXiBody to support our strategy to apply Medigene’s TCRs into new modalities, such as TCR-TCEs for use in patients where additional value can be created beyond TCR-T therapies, for patients and our shareholders,” – said Selwyn Ho, CEO of Medigene.

“We are excited to partner with Medigene, a leader in TCR generation and characterization. This collaboration will further enhance our research service capabilities in our CRDMO business model and underscore our commitment to enabling global partners to speed up their novel therapy discovery and development with our leading technologies and reliable services. I believe the partnership will be ultimately translated into better treatments for cancer patients worldwide,” – said Chris Chen, CEO of WuXi Biologics.

The companies aim to co-research TCR-TCE constructs, which will be owned by both cooperation partners with options to Medigene to further advance their development. The resulting constructs will leverage Medigene’s highly specific 3S TCRs for comprehensive target recognition, coupled with WuXi Biologics’ unique anti-CD3 mAb, advanced bispecific antibody technology and leading TCE platform to activate T cells. The resultant bispecific therapeutics are expected to provide highly specific targeted immune responses that direct T cells to effectively attack and kill cancer cells while minimizing off-target effects, and thereby improve patient outcomes.

The market for bispecific therapies represents a significant opportunity in the fight against cancer, addressing the critical unmet need in both solid and hematologic tumors. Annually, over 5 million cancer patients worldwide, suffering from solid and hematologic cancers, face low five-year survival rates, highlighting the urgent demand for innovative treatments.

Bispecific TCR-TCEs offer a promising solution, leveraging the body’s immune system to target and eradicate cancer cells with heightened precision. The market for these therapies is projected to experience a remarkable compound annual growth rate of 40.9% from 2023 to 2030, underscoring the robust and accelerating interest in this field. By 2030, the market is estimated to exceed USD80 billion, reflecting its substantial potential to improve patient outcomes and revolutionize treatment of cancer and other diseases.

About Medigene AG

Medigene AG is an immuno-oncology platform company dedicated to developing differentiated T cell therapies to effectively eliminate cancer. Its End-to-End Platform consists of multiple proprietary and exclusive technologies that generate optimal T cell receptors, armor and enhance these T cells to overcome the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME), and ensure the T cells drug product composition maximizes safety, efficacy and durability of response.

This creates potential best-in-class, T cell receptor engineered T cell (TCR-T) therapies to treat multiple solid tumor indications for both its in-house product pipeline and partnering. Medigene’s lead TCR-T program MDG1015 is on track for IND filing in 3Q 2024 and CTA filing in 4Q 2024.

About WuXi Biologics

WuXi Biologics is a leading global Contract Research, Development and Manufacturing Organization (CRDMO) offering end-to-end solutions that enable partners to discover, develop and manufacture biologics – from concept to commercialization – for the benefit of patients worldwide.

With over 12,000 skilled employees in China, the United States, Ireland, Germany and Singapore, WuXi Biologics leverages its technologies and expertise to provide customers with efficient and cost-effective biologics discovery, development and manufacturing solutions. As of December 31, 2023, WuXi Biologics is supporting 698 integrated client projects, including 24 in commercial manufacturing.

WuXi Biologics views Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) responsibilities as an integral component of our ethos and business strategy, and we aim to be an ESG leader in the biologics CRDMO sector. Our facilities use next-generation biomanufacturing technologies and clean-energy sources. We have also established an ESG committee led by our CEO to steer the comprehensive ESG strategy and its implementation, enhancing our commitment to sustainability.

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