Ropes & Gray advised ImmunoGen in Multi-Target Licence Agreement with ImmunoBiochem

Ropes & Gray advised ImmunoGen in Multi-Target Licence Agreement with ImmunoBiochem

Ropes & Gray, a prominent law firm headquartered in the United States, played a crucial role in representing ImmunoGen, Inc., an American biotechnology company known for pioneering antibody-drug conjugates in cancer treatment.

This representation involved a significant multi-target licence and option agreement with ImmunoBiochem Corporation, a biopharmaceutical company based in Canada.

The collaboration officially announced on July 24, aims to advance groundbreaking research in the domain of novel, first-in-class antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs). The primary focus of this joint effort will be on exploring unique tumor targets that hold great promise in cancer therapy.

By combining ImmunoGen's proprietary linker-payload technology with ImmunoBiochem's specialised antibodies specifically designed to target distinct tumour markers, the partnership aspires to unlock new possibilities in the field of cancer treatment.

As part of the agreement, ImmunoBiochem stands to benefit from an initial upfront payment in exchange for granting ImmunoGen an exclusive licence to its existing antibodies, which are specifically designed to target an undisclosed, but significant, tumour marker.

In addition to the upfront payment, ImmunoBiochem will also be eligible to receive milestone payments and royalties. These financial incentives will be contingent upon the successful accomplishment of pre-defined development, regulatory, and commercial milestones.

Under the partnership, ImmunoGen and ImmunoBiochem will engage in joint preclinical efforts, pooling their expertise to advance the programme's early-stage activities. ImmunoGen will then take the lead in driving the programme's clinical development and handling all aspects of commercialisation in the future.

As part of this collaboration, ImmunoGen gains the flexibility to potentially select additional targets and antibodies for licencing.

The selection process will be based on specific preclinical work undertaken by ImmunoBiochem. Should ImmunoGen decide to exercise this option and choose additional targets, ImmunoBiochem will receive an option exercise payment. In turn, ImmunoGen will assume full responsibility for all subsequent research and development activities related to the chosen programme.

The Ropes & Gray team was led by life sciences licencing partner Amanda Austin and life sciences licensing associate Amanda White. Additionally, Abigail Gregor, another partner specialising in life sciences licencing, was also part of the team.