EMD Serono And Mersana Enter ADC Collaboration
Merck KGaA subsidiary EMD Serono and Mersana Therapeutics announced that the companies have agreed to co-develop next-generation antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs). ADCs, which comprise an antibody linked to cytotoxic drugs, zero in on the cancer cells and deliver the cytotoxic drug to increase the drug levels at the tumor site.
The partnership will leverage Mersana’s Fleximer antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) technology to create ADCs for a number of confidential targets. Fleximer is based on a variety of linkers that enable it to attach a range of anti-tumor payloads to itself, building a Fleximer-ADC. The two companies have decided to test different ADCs and a number of cytotoxic agents as conjugates.
Dr. Andree Blaukat, head of the Translational Innovation Platform Oncology at EMD Serono, said, “This new collaboration provides an exciting opportunity to expand our oncology drug discovery and development portfolio into the evolving ADC space… Partnering with Mersana allows us to incorporate cutting-edge research and technical excellence to enrich our pipeline.”
As part of the agreement, EMD Serono will supply monoclonal antibodies to Mersana, which will be used to build Fleximer-ADCs. The company will lead the clinical development and marketing of any products discovered in the collaboration under an exclusive license from collaborator Mersana. Mersana is eligible to receive milestones and royalties on global net product sales in addition to an upfront payment. No further financial details were disclosed by either company.
Timothy Lowinger, Mersana's CSO, said, “We look forward to working with EMD Serono to apply our proprietary platform technologies to rapidly develop and demonstrate preclinical proof-of-concept of several customized, novel Fleximer-ADC candidates.”
EMD Serono is a U.S. biopharmaceutical company focused on specialty care for areas such as neurology, immunology, oncology, and immuno-oncology. Mersana focuses on engineering ADCs to maximize the potential of new and existing therapeutic classes.