ImmunoPrecise Antibodies has secured a collaboration with an undisclosed “leading biotech” to discover new antibody-drug conjugates and bispecific antibodies to treat cancer.
The agreement will harness ImmunoPrecise’s multi-omics artificial-intelligence-driven modeling and discovery platform as well as its B-cell select technology to discover and preclinically develop “multiple antibody-based therapeutics, with a focus on developing highly selective and effective cancer treatments,” according to a March 13 release.
The collaboration will last 18 to 24 months and have an initial value of $8 million, the biotech said, with the potential to expand to $10 million. The aim will be to integrate AI to improve the discovery process.
“This collaboration aims to streamline the path from target discovery to preclinical candidate selection, marking a significant step toward advancing next-generation biologics for cancer treatment,” ImmunoPrecise explained.
While not disclosing its new partner, today’s release described it as a “leading biotechnology company with multi-billion-dollar market capitalization.” Austin, Texas-based ImmunoPrecise has previously secured collaborations with the likes of BioNTech.
“This partnership underscores the power of combining AI-driven discovery with advanced antibody engineering,” ImmunoPrecise’s CEO Jennifer Bath, Ph.D., said in the release.
“With the purchase order secured and work already underway, we are actively leveraging our proprietary B-cell Select platform and LENS technology to accelerate the development of highly targeted cancer therapeutics,” Bath added. “This collaboration highlights IPA’s role in shaping the future of next-generation biologics with data-driven precision and efficiency.”
ADCs have been one of the hottest spaces for dealmaking in recent years, with the likes of AstraZeneca, Roche, Merck & Co. and Ipsen all posting billion-dollar-plus biobucks pacts.