Regeneron and Cytomx Announce $2 Billion Oncology Collaboration

Regeneron and CytomX Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on oncology, announced a collaboration and licensing agreement on Nov. 17, 2022. The collaboration will see the companies partner to develop investigational next-generation bispecific immunotherapies for cancer using CtyomX’s Probody therapeutic platform and Regeneron’s Veloci-Bi bispecific antibody development platform.

According to a company press release, the agreement will see Regeneron and CytomX collaborate on the discovery activities to identify and validate conditionally active bispecific antibodies. Regeneron will be responsible for funding preclinical and clinical development and commercialization activities. CytomX will receive a $30 million upfront payment with the potential for up to $2 billion in research, development, regulatory, and sales-based milestones, as well as tiered global net sales royalties.

The partnership intends to use CytomX’s biologic masking strategies to develop investigational Regeneron bispecifics that remain inactive until activated by proteases in the tumor microenvironment. According to the release, this technology would have the potential to widen the therapeutic window and help minimize off-target effects for next-generation T-cell engaging therapies, allowing them to potentially address tumor types typically unresponsive to immunotherapy.

"At Regeneron, we're focused on developing a paradigm-changing portfolio of oncology medicines for patients, by combining a deep understanding of cancer biology with cutting-edge technologies," said John Lin, senior vice-president of Immuno-oncology, head of Bispecifics, Regeneron, in the release. "This collaboration will enable Regeneron and CytomX to combine our collective oncology expertise with two premier platforms – Probody and Veloci-Bi – to develop novel immunotherapies and research their potential to transform patient lives."

"CytomX has pioneered the field of conditionally-activated therapeutics through high quality and differentiated science, leading to broad experience in biologic masking strategies and a deep understanding of the protease tumor microenvironment," said Sean McCarthy, CEO and chairman, CytomX, in the release. "We are thrilled that our scientific expertise has attracted Regeneron as our newest collaborator, and we look forward to working closely together to further optimize T-cell engager strategies and push the boundaries of cancer immunotherapy to new levels."

Source: Regeneron