NEWTON, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Siamab Therapeutics, Inc. and Boehringer Ingelheim announced today that they have entered into a strategic discovery collaboration with the goal of developing anti-cancer therapeutics targeting tumor associated carbohydrate antigens (TACAs). Siamab will apply its proprietary technology platform to generate TACA-specific antibodies for use in multiple solid tumor applications. Financial terms of the agreement are not being disclosed.
TACAs represent unique cancer-selective targets that are present in the majority of solid tumors including ovarian, pancreatic, prostate, colon, gastric and breast, and are exploited by tumor cells to suppress innate immune function, enable tissue invasion and metastasis, resist chemotherapy and promote a stem-cell phenotype. Selective targeting of TACAs can therefore provide novel approaches for this exciting new era of cancer immunology research.
Under the terms of the agreement, Siamab will use its platform to discover TACA selective targeting antibodies. Boehringer Ingelheim will have the option to conduct further engineering, development and commercialization of the anti-TACA antibodies resulting from the collaboration. The agreement is for one TACA target, with the option for Boehringer Ingelheim to add a second. Siamab will be eligible to receive research funding and technical input, as well as potential milestone and royalty payments for each program.
“We are excited to partner with Boehringer Ingelheim, a global leader in oncology research and development, to leverage our proprietary technology platform to identify anti-TACA antibody therapeutics against new targets,” said Jeff Behrens, president and chief executive officer of Siamab Therapeutics. “This collaboration combines our expertise in the rapid discovery and characterization of highly specific, high affinity anti-TACA antibodies with Boehringer Ingelheim’s antibody drug discovery and development experience in novel cancer therapeutics. We look forward to working together to identify new anti-cancer therapeutics.”
“Boehringer Ingelheim’s collaboration with Siamab provides an opportunity to discover and develop new antibody therapeutics that target TACAs, which are emerging as an important new class to treat cancer and an area that we are actively exploring,” said Jonathon Sedgwick Ph.D., Vice President and Global Head, Cancer Immunology and Immune Modulation Research.
About Siamab Therapeutics, Inc.
Siamab Therapeutics, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company developing novel cancer immunotherapies targeting tumor-associated carbohydrate antigens (TACAs) seen in multiple solid tumors. Siamab has developed a platform that enables the rapid discovery and development of therapeutic antibodies that bind with unprecedented specificity and affinity to this novel class of carbohydrate antigens. TACAs are an exciting cancer target class due to their cancer specificity, association with a chemoresistant phenotype, and ability to suppress immune function in the region of solid tumors. The company’s lead program, ST1, targets Sialyl-Tn (STn), a tumor specific antigen seen in multiple solid tumors, including ovarian, pancreatic, and prostate and colon cancers. ST1 is in late-stage preclinical studies for the treatment of solid tumors. Visit www.siamab.com to learn more about the company.
