Xencor Enters Into Licencing Agrement With Centocor

Xencor has licensed its XmAb and Xtend technology platforms to Centocor Research & Development (Centocor) for the optimisation of Centocor’s antibody drug candidates.

The license follows a 2009 license agreement that gave Centocor access to Xencor’s proprietary Immunofilter software for the prediction of potential immunogenic sites in therapeutic proteins.

Under the multi-year agreement, Centocor is expected to gain research access to both the XmAb and Xtend technology platforms and has the right to develop and commercialise a specified number of optimised candidates.

In addition, Xencor is expected to receive license fees and is eligible to receive milestones and royalties on products commercialised from the collaboration.

Bassil Dahiyat, president and CEO of Xencor, said: “Our XmAb and Xtend platforms confer improvements to potency and half-life for antibody drugs that can provide key competitive differentiators in the increasingly crowded antibody markets. We look forward to expanding this relationship and enhancing the commercial potential of our platform through partnerships that complement our internal pipeline.”