Tubulis, the Martinsried-based pioneer in the field of antibody drug conjugates (ADCs), announces a multi-million euro exclusive licence agreement with Gilead Sciences. The collaboration aims to develop a novel therapy for solid tumours. Tubulis already received the m4 Award coordinated by BioM in 2017.
The agreement includes an upfront payment of USD 20 million and potential milestone payments of up to USD 415 million. In addition, licence fees in the mid single-digit to low double-digit range were agreed.
Tubulis thus remains on the road to success: In March of this year, Tubulis had already successfully completed a Series B2 financing round totalling 128 million euros. In April 2023, the company entered into a billion-euro agreement with BMS.
Under the terms of the agreement, Gilead will gain access to Tubulis' proprietary platforms Tubutecan and Alco5. The companies will collaborate on the selection of the most suitable technology, with Tubulis leading the research and development efforts to develop a topoisomerase I inhibitor ADC candidate with superior biophysical properties and stability.
As a spin-off of the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) Munich and the Leibniz-Forschungsinstitut für Molekulare Pharmakologie (FMP) Berlin, Tubulis develops a pipeline of uniquely matched antibody drug conjugates (ADCs) with an indication-tailored targeting molecule and payload combination to develop novel ADCs with superior properties. The aim is to provide gentler and more efficient forms of therapy in the treatment of cancer. Tubulis won the m4 Award pre-seed competition coordinated by BioM prior to its company foundation. Tubulis has to date raised over EUR187 million through its financing rounds and non-dilutive funding.
“Gilead has established a long track record of developing drugs that provide a significant step-up in therapeutic value, making them a great collaborator for leveraging our technology platforms, in line with our vision of fundamentally changing the ADC landscape,” said Dominik Schumacher, PhD, CEO and co-founder of Tubulis. “Tubulis remains primarily focused on driving value through our own clinical development programs while selectively building partnerships with leaders in the industry.”
“As we expand our oncology portfolio to address the greatest gaps in care, accessing novel technologies is critical to advancing our pipeline,” said Flavius Martin, MD, Executive Vice President, Research, Gilead Sciences. “With Gilead’s ongoing focus on innovating with next-generation therapies and combinations, we are excited to partner with Tubulis to explore a range of solutions that may help increase the therapeutic value of the ADC modality.”