Jazz zeroes in on next-gen T cell engagers with AbCellera deal

Dive Brief:

Jazz Pharmaceuticals is enlisting the help of AbCellera in a bid to develop next-generation T-cell-engaging medicines to treat solid tumors.
As part of a deal announced Wednesday, Jazz will pay AbCellera $56 million up front in exchange for discovery work and early-stage preclinical research on two programs. AbCellera also committed to start a third discovery program within 12 months, which will trigger another $28 million payment, and may undertake two additional projects if both companies agree.
If Jazz exercises options for development, AbCellera could earn as much as $792 million more per program in fees and payments for reaching certain development, regulatory and commercial milestones. AbCellera would also be eligible for royalties, should any approved medications come out of the collaboration.

Dive Insight:

The deal reflects the immense interest in antibodies that work by engaging both immune cells and disease targets. Multiple earlier generation “bispecific” T-cell engagers are already approved for blood cancers and are in testing as treatments for autoimmune diseases as well.

Now, drugmakers are marrying the T-cell engagers with multiple disease targets and working on next-generation options that may help them overcome some of the weaknesses of earlier therapies. To date, T-cell engagers have had limited success in solid tumors and they can trigger an overactive immune response, known as cytokine release syndrome.

Companies including Janux Therapeutics and Vir Biotechnology are trying to overcome those issues by developing “masked” T-cell engagers that hide from the immune system until they reach a tumor. AbCellera’s technology, meanwhile, is designed to find “multispecific” candidates that can attack difficult-to-treat cancers. Jazz and AbCellera plan to go after gastrointestinal cancers and other solid tumors.

Jazz was long known for medicines to treat epilepsy and excessive daytime sleepiness but has made oncology an increasing focus in recent years. The company has multiple approved cancer treatments and a range of experimental therapies in its pipeline.

In AbCellera, Jazz found a partner that works with some of the biggest companies in the pharmaceutical industry to find drug targets. Perhaps best known for helping Eli Lilly develop a COVID-19 treatment, AbCellera went public in December 2020 in one of the largest offerings in the previous few years.