Immune believes the agreement will provide it with a solid financial basis beyond the next three years to develop other programs at full speed.
Beta-amyloid constitutes an important target for the disease modification of Alzheimer’s disease and AC Immune has developed conformation-specific antibodies against this protein generated by its SupraAntigen Technology.
Under the terms of this agreement, Genentech will make an upfront payment to AC Immune, with the potential for a total of over $300 million in payments. Upon commercialization of a product, Genentech will pay AC Immune royalties on net sales of the antibodies. Genentech will also provide funding for a multi-year collaborative research program and will cover all development and clinical costs of the lead antibody and subsequent antibody candidates.
The SupraAntigen Technology resulted in the development of an anti-beta-amyloid antibody program with a selected lead antibody, which has been shown to be highly active in animal disease models for Alzheimer’s disease.