Medigene and EpimAb Biotherapeutics have signed a co-development agreement involving T cell receptor (TCR)-guided T cell engagers (TCR-TCEs), the “off-the-shelf” immunotherapies for solid tumours.
The partnership leverages the sensitive, specific and safe (3S) TCR characterisation and generation capabilities of Medigene and EpimAb’s cluster of differentiation 3 (CD3) antibody and TCR-Fab in tandem (T-FIT) platforms to create bispecific therapeutics designed for targeted immune responses and enhanced patient outcomes.
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The joint effort aims to produce TCR-TCE constructs, with ownership shared equally between the two companies.
Medigene CEO Selwyn Ho stated: “We are delighted to partner with EpimAb and their proprietary T-FIT platform, which is well-validated with strong clinical data and several prominent recent partnering deals, to develop potential best-in-class TCR-TCEs, leveraging our expert 3S TCR generation capabilities.
“This co-development agreement further expands the application of Medigene’s TCRs into off-the-shelf TCR-guided modalities and underscores our commitment to forging value-driven partnerships that expand our pipeline in areas of high unmet patient need.”
In contrast to conventional antibodies, TCRs can identify both intracellular and extracellular targets that are displayed on cancer cells by peptide-human leukocyte antigen (HLA) complexes.
Medigene’s end-to-end platform plays a crucial role in discovering natural TCR sequences with high 3S. These optimal TCRs are combined with a CD3 T cell-engaging antibody.
The resulting TCR-TCEs direct the patient’s T cells towards tumour cells, activating them to release cytotoxic and cytokines molecules that destroy cancer cells.
In August 2024, Medigene and global contract research, development and manufacturing organisation WuXi Biologics, partnered for the development of TCR-TCEs for treating challenging tumours.
