AbCellera Biologics Inc (NASDAQ:ABCL) signed an extended collaboration deal with Gilead Sciences, Inc (NASDAQ:GILD) for multi-body antibody discovery. The deal also provides access to the Trianni Mouse, humanized mouse technology of AbCellera.
Milestone payments to Abcellera
Gilead will make an upfront payment to AbCellera as per the terms of the deal. AbCellera will also receive royalties and milestone payments on the commercialization/ development of antibodies.
As per the new terms of the deal, AbCellera will generate antibody panels for eight new targets for multiple indications indicated by Gilead. The collaboration will utilize the technology stack of AbCellera, such as the capabilities of humanized antibodies using humanized mouse technology. Any of the two antibodies will be combined to produce native bispecifics with the help of OrthoMab protein engineering platform.
Strengthens relationship
President and CEO of AbCellera, Carl Hansen, said the company is excited to broaden its relationship with Gilead based on the first program’s success. He said the company is thrilled with the value created by integrating OrthoMab and Trianni Mouse platforms for its partners. AbCellera took over OrthoMab platforms in H2 2020.
The operating system developed by AbCellera will benefit the partners in unlocking the new targets and support several antibody modalities. It will also expedite and improve the success of TADP (therapeutic antibody discovery programs).
The AI-powered technology stack of AbCellera will bring together single-cell analysis, microfluidics, custom robotics, computation, automation, and ML (Machine Learning) to expedite each process in the discovery.
AbCellera will publish Q1 2021 earnings on May 13, 2021. It will also hold a conference call on the same day at 2 PM to discuss financial results.
Signs a strategic multi-target discovery deal
AbCellera entered a strategic multi-target discovery pact with Empirico Inc on April 14, 2021. They will use each of their advanced computation, hyper-scale datasets, and ML to detect high-value drug targets genetically validated and identify innovative therapeutic antibodies.
Empirico can select five therapeutic targets using its human genetics-focused discovery platform – Precision Insights Platform. AI-powered antibody discovery technology of AbCellera will be used to detect/ analyze NAR (natural immune responses) for identifying antibodies that have desired therapeutic properties to act against the targets.
