Nykode Therapeutics and Regeneron Forge $900M+ Collaboration to Advance Innovative DNA Vaccines for Cancer and Infectious Diseases

On November 23, 2021, Nykode Therapeutics announced that it had entered into a licensing and collaboration agreement with Regeneron to discover, develop and commercialize five novel DNA vaccines for cancer treatment and infectious disease prevention.

Nykode Therapeutics' proprietary modular Vaccibody technology platform induces rapid, strong, and long-lasting specific immune responses by targeting antigen delivery to antigen-presenting cells (APCs). Vaccibody molecules consist of three functional units: a targeting unit that binds to surface receptors on antigen-presenting cells, a dimerization unit, and an antigen unit derived from pathogens (cancer cells or pathogens). The platform uses DNA plasmids to encode these modular units, and since each module is relatively independent, various different DNA vaccines can be rapidly developed by replacing modules.

The cooperation agreement includes three cancer projects and two infectious disease projects. Nykode will be responsible for the production and design of the vaccines, as well as the supply of products before the end of Phase I clinical trials. Regeneron will be responsible for antigen identification, preclinical and clinical development, vaccine production after the end of Phase I trials, and commercialization.

Under the terms of the agreement, Nykode will receive a $30 million upfront payment and a $20 million equity investment. Additionally, Nykode is eligible to receive over $875 million in milestone payments, along with tiered royalties on future potential commercial product sales. Regeneron will cover the costs of research and potential clinical, regulatory, manufacturing, and commercialization activities.

References:

[1] Nykode Therapeutics (Formerly Vaccibody*)) Enters Into Multi-target License and Collaboration Agreement With Regeneron to Develop Innovative Vaccines Against Cancer and Infectious Diseases, Retrieved November 23, 2021, from https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211122006740/en/Nykode-Therapeutics-Formerly-Vaccibody*-Enters-Into-Multi-target-License-and-Collaboration-Agreement-With-Regeneron-to-Develop-Innovative-Vaccines-Against-Cancer-and-Infectious-Diseases

(Original text has been abridged)

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