BioNTech AG to Acquire MAB Discovery's Antibody Unit to Accelerate Monoclonal Antibody Development

VCBeat (WeChat Official Account: vcbeat) has learned that BioNTech AG and MAB Discovery jointly announced on January 23 (local time) that they had reached a final agreement, under which BioNTech AG will acquire MAB Discovery’s antibody operations and production division in the near future.

Under the terms of the agreement, BioNTech will acquire the core assets of MAB Discovery, including relevant personnel and technical resources. MAB Discovery will retain ownership of its proprietary clinical development pipeline technologies and existing third-party service agreements. Leveraging MAB Discovery’s talent pool and R&D capabilities, BioNTech AG will accelerate the production of novel monoclonal antibodies.

BioNTech AG is Europe’s largest and fastest-growing private biotechnology company, pioneering personalized treatments for cancer and other diseases. The company integrates diagnostics, drug development, and the building blocks of personalized immunotherapy into a single platform. Its cutting-edge technologies include personalized mRNA therapeutics, innovative chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) and T-cell receptor (TCR) products, and novel checkpoint immunomodulators.

MAB Discovery is a German antibody discovery company founded in October 2010. The company’s core business is antibody discovery, leveraging its in vivo and in vitro monoclonal antibody (mAb) generation platforms to meet client-specific needs.

According to publicly available information, the collaboration between BioNTech AG and MAB Discovery began five years ago, during which both parties engaged in multiple exchanges and business interactions regarding the research, development, and manufacturing of therapeutic antibodies. To maximize collaborative efficiency, after prolonged negotiations and discussions, BioNTech AG decided to integrate MAB Discovery’s platform and team into its relevant projects through an acquisition.

“This transaction will ensure the further development of MAB Discovery’s unique mAb generation platform. We are delighted to see our proprietary technology generate unique mAbs for BioNTech AG, and we believe that MAB Discovery’s operations team will become an integral part of BioNTech AG and its future ecosystem,” said Dr. Stephan Fischer, CEO of MAB Discovery. “MAB Discovery will focus on developing higher-quality, specialized mAbs for external partners.”

According to previous reports by VCBeat, BioNTech AG completed two rounds of financing, raising a total of $361.2 million. The Series A round was closed on January 4, 2018, led by Redmile Group, with participation from Janus Henderson Investors, Invus, and other institutions. BioNTech AG primarily used the funds to expand its global operations. The second round of financing took place on January 4, 2019, with Sanofi as the investor. BioNTech AG mainly allocated these funds to strengthen its presence in the cancer immunotherapy sector. It is evident that BioNTech’s recent acquisition of MAB Discovery’s antibody operations and production division represents a significant step toward enhancing its core technological productivity following its robust capital raise.

Redmile Group, established in 2007, is a U.S.-based healthcare investment firm primarily engaged in venture capital investments within the healthcare sector.

Janus Henderson Group plc is a global asset management group dedicated to helping clients achieve their long-term financial goals.

Invus is a venture capital firm based in New York, USA, primarily investing in and managing companies that are flexible and efficient.

Sanofi, headquartered in Paris, France, is the fourth-largest pharmaceutical company in the world. Sanofi is dedicated to the research, development, manufacturing, and sales of pharmaceutical products, with its portfolio primarily covering seven therapeutic areas: cardiovascular diseases, thrombosis, oncology, diabetes, central nervous system disorders, general medicine, and vaccines.