Dive Brief:
- Under a collaborative partnership agreement between Sanofi and Selecta Biosciences, the companies are trying to develop an immunotherapy for celiac disease.
- Selecta has developed a proprietary platform—the Synthetic Vaccine Particle platform—to develop drugs that use immune-modulating nanomedicines to generate targeted antigen-specific immune responses.
- Based on the terms of the partnership, Selecta is eligible to receive up to $300 million in milestones related to the Celiac program, as well as royalties on commercial sales.
Dive Insight:
Under the terms of the agreement between Sanofi and Selecta, Sanofi obtained a first exclusive license to develop immunotherapies aimed at immune responses to specific food allergens, as well as two additional immunotherapy candidates for allergies and Celiac disease (CD).
With more than three million people in the U.S. affected by CD, and an average four years that it takes to get a definitive diagnosis, CD is more than a chronic intestinal disease. It is an immune disorder, which can lead to neurological and autoimmune disorders, as well as osteoporosis or even cancer.
The deal between Sanofi and Selecta, which dates back to November 2012, is a step in the right direction towards the development of an immunotherapy for a disease that has gotten a lot more press in the last several years.