Evotec, Apeiron Biologics and Sanofi develop novel cancer immunotherapies
Evotec AG and Apeiron Biologics AG announced a strategic collaboration with Sanofi to develop novel small molecule-based cancer immunotherapies.
This collaboration includes major research and development efforts to advance a first-in-class small molecule approach to treat solid and haematopoietic cancers by enhancing the anti-tumour activity of human lymphocytes.The collaboration will also focus on the identification of novel small molecule hits and their targets for next-generation therapies in immuno-oncology which are expected to complement the current offerings of checkpoint inhibitors.
In recent years, immuno-oncology has emerged as a particularly promising field to create superior and potentially curative treatment options for many cancer patients.
The collaboration is set up as an initiative to support long-term pipeline building for Evotec, Apeiron Biologics and Sanofi. All three companies will make significant contributions to this collaboration. The collaboration will enhance Sanofi's oncology portfolio. It will enable Evotec to enter into the drug discovery area of immuno-oncology and it will substantially support Apeiron Biologics' strategy focusing on novel and innovative checkpoint inhibiting approaches.
The agreement triggers two years of substantial research payments for Evotec and Apeiron Biologics with the opportunity to receive pre-clinical, clinical, regulatory and commercial milestones which could total over 200 million € as well as royalties upon commercialisation.
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