In September 2008, Merck Serono and Ablynx entered into an agreement to co-discover and co-develop nanobodies against two targets in oncology and immunology.
Merck Serono and Ablynx’s new collaboration structure allows Ablynx to drive the process up to the clinic, leveraging its strengths in nanobody discovery and preclinical development.
As per the terms of the agreement, Ablynx is expected to receive up-front payment of €10m and will be responsible for all activities and costs, excluding manufacturing costs, up to the delivery of a preclinical package that is expected to form the basis for the filing of an IND or IND equivalent.
Additionally, upon acceptance of the package by Merck Serono, Ablynx is expected to be eligible for a €15m milestone payment.
Merck Serono R&D executive vice president Bernhard Kirschbaum said that they were pleased with the progress made to date in their existing collaboration with Ablynx in oncology and immunology and look forward to expanding it to the area of rheumatology where their research focuses on proteins that modulate key pathogenic mechanisms.