Mersana Therapeutics has signed a collaboration agreement with Endo Pharmaceuticals to develop next-generation antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs).
Under the deal, Endo will pay an upfront fee to Mersana for the right to utilize Mersana’s Fleximer technology to develop novel ADC candidates against a single cancer target.
Mersana is responsible for conducting research and creating ADCs, and Endo is responsible for product development, manufacturing and commercialization of any Fleximer-ADC products, according to the agreement.
Mersana CEO Nick Bacopoulos said the company’s proprietary conjugation technologies, centered on Fleximer, are well-suited to expand the therapeutic potential of ADCs by enabling greater cytotoxic payload, diverse mechanisms of action, better tumor penetration, and improved stability achieved with optimized linkers.
"We look forward to working with Endo to incorporate their antibodies against a very promising oncology target into next-generation Fleximer-ADC candidates," Bacopoulos added.
Following successful development, Mersana is eligible to receive more than $270m in progress-dependent milestones as well as royalties on worldwide net sales of any resulting ADC products.