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news.Synthekine and Merck have signed a global research collaboration and license agreement to develop novel cytokine-based therapeutics.
Synthekine and Merck partner to develop new cytokine-based therapies for autoimmune diseases. Credit: Sintija Valucka from Pixabay.
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Synthekine and Merck have signed a global research collaboration and license agreement to develop novel cytokine-based therapeutics.
As part of the collaboration, the companies will discover, develop, and market new cytokine-based therapies for the treatment of autoimmune diseases using Synthekine’s surrogate cytokine agonist platform.
Initially, they will focus on potential therapies for autoimmune diseases.
Under the deal, Merck will get exclusive rights for the development, manufacturing, and commercialisation of new cytokine-based therapies for up to two cytokine targets.
In partnership with Merck, Synthekine will handle the initial research efforts for the therapies.
Synthekine CEO Debanjan Ray said: “At Synthekine, we are focused on advancing cytokine science through three protein engineering platforms to create optimized therapeutics in this important space.
“Our surrogate cytokine agonist platform produces a new class of cytokine therapeutics that are designed to deliver selective immunotherapies for the treatment of autoimmune diseases and cancer.
“We are thrilled to announce our first collaboration using this platform with an unequivocal leader in the field.”
As per the terms of the deal, Synthekine will receive an undisclosed upfront payment along with an additional one-time payment in case a second target is designated by Merck.
The company will also be eligible to receive up to $525m in development, regulatory and commercialisation milestones, and tiered royalties from net sales for each target.
Merck will fund the research work.
Merck Research Laboratories president Dean Li said: “Emerging insights from immunology and oncology are providing new and different ways to think about treating diseases.
“We look forward to collaborating with Synthekine to evaluate new approaches to harness the therapeutic potential of cytokines.”
