Sanofi-Aventis will pay Regeneron a minimum of $4.3 million annually for five years for knock-out and transgenic models of gene function for target genes identified by Sanofi-Aventis. Sanofi-Aventis will use these models for its internal research programs, outside the scope of its antibody collaboration with Regeneron.
Regeneron and Sanofi-Aventis have previously entered into a collaboration agreement for the discovery, development, and commercialization of human monoclonal antibodies based on Regeneron’s proprietary VelociSuite of technologies, including VelociGene, VelociMouse, VelocImmune, and VelociMab.
David Valenzuela, chief of VelociGene operations at Regeneron, said: “We have extensive experience using the VelociGene platform as part of our internal research activities, and it has proven to be extremely useful for identifying new gene targets for drug R&D.”