Dren Bio has partnered strategically with Novartis subsidiary Novartis Pharma to discover and develop therapeutic bispecific antibodies to treat cancer.
The partnership will leverage Dren Bio's targeted myeloid engager and phagocytosis platform to create the antibodies.
Dren Bio is entitled to an upfront payment of $150m from Novartis, including an equity investment of $25m.
The company could earn up to $2.85bn in milestone payments on specific preclinical, clinical, regulatory and commercial goals in addition to royalty payments on sales of any products resulting from the deal.
Dren Bio and Novartis will jointly progress targeted myeloid engager programmes through the selection of clinical candidates.
Novartis will subsequently take over development, manufacturing and commercialisation responsibilities.
Novartis biomedical research oncology global head Shiva Malek stated: “Our agreement with Dren Bio is a promising opportunity to discover novel bispecific antibody therapies for cancer, building on our longstanding expertise in immuno-oncology science at Novartis.
“We’re excited to collaborate to bring forward new therapeutic options for patients living with cancer, complementing our strategic efforts across a wide range of modalities, including targeted therapies, biologics, radioligand therapies and CAR-Ts [chimeric antigen receptor-T cells].”
Dren Bio focuses on developing antibody therapeutics for cancer and serious diseases.
Its lead product, DR-01, is in a Phase II study for cytotoxic lymphomas and is being expanded to autoimmune indications.
The company's platform produces bispecific antibodies that activate myeloid cells only when the target antigen is present. This specificity could lead to better safety profiles compared to other therapies.
DR-0201, its lead platform programme, is in a Phase I study for diffuse large B cell lymphoma.
Dren Bio CEO Nenad Tomasevic said: “We are thrilled to establish this new collaboration with Novartis, a global leader in oncology.
“Combining the proven capabilities of Novartis in oncology drug development with Dren Bio’s novel platform could enable the advancement of important new therapies for patients.”
