Bristol-Myers Squibb and Domantis form antibody alliance

The collaborators aim to discover a range of novel domain antibodies (dAbs) to address therapeutic targets involved in T-cell co-stimulation, some of which may not be amenable to targeting with conventional antibody approaches.

Under the terms of the agreement, Domantis will receive $9.2 million in upfront and guaranteed research payments. In addition, Domantis will be eligible for preclinical and clinical milestone payments of up to $20 million per product, as well as royalties on product sales.

Domantis will contribute two of its existing dAb therapeutic programs and will create a range of new dAbs to predetermined targets, with Bristol-Myers Squibb having the exclusive right to develop and commercialize dAb therapeutics discovered during the collaboration.

“The commitment by Bristol-Myers Squibb is further validation of dAbs as the next generation of antibody therapeutics,” said Domantis’ CEO Robert Connelly. “We believe this alliance could produce several novel dAb therapeutics for the treatment of important diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, transplant rejection and many others in the fields of both immunology and oncology.”