Cancer startup GO Therapeutics signs $195m licensing deal with Roche

As per terms of the deal, Roche will secure worldwide and exclusive license from GO Therapeutics for cancer-specific targeting antibodies.

The license will allow Roche to develop and commercialize new glycotargeting bispecific antibody.

Under the deal, GO Therapeutics will secure upfront and near-term milestones of $9m from Roche.

GO Therapeutics will also be eligible to secure up to $186m in potential milestone payments and mid-single-digit to low double-digit royalties on any future product sales.

Based in Cambridge of Massachusetts, GO Therapeutics is involved in applying new advances in glycoproteomics for the development of antibody-based cancer therapeutics.

The firm’s cancer specific antibodies against tumor-specific antigens can be used in a multimodal approach to restrict cancer.

GO Therapeutics’ platform and technologies are used in the development of antibody-drug-conjugates, bispecific T-cell engagers and immune-based cell therapies.

The company is currently involved in the development of a novel class of tumor-specific glycoprotein antigens, which are not found on healthy cells.

These antibodies are said to be suitable targets for bi-specific antibody T-cell engagement, CAR-T and ADC therapies.

In addition, GO’s lead antibody development program is based on a bispecific antibody for T cell-redirection therapy.

The company noted that it has advanced tools and techniques to identify sites of O-linked glycosylation on a wide range of proteins targets.

It will apply O-glycans at the plasma membrane to develop novel hybrid epitopes, which are part protein and O-glycan structure.

GO Therapeutics CEO Constantine Theodoropulos said: “We are excited about this collaboration to develop an innovative immune-redirected therapy to potentially improve the lives of patients suffering from cancer in the future.”

“GO’s glycoprotein targeting platform opens an exciting class of tumor-specific antigens that can help widen the therapeutic window for cancer therapies such as T-cell bispecific antibodies, CAR-T and ADCs (Antibody Drug Conjugates).

“Preclinical data show GO’s approach can provide superior specificity in targeting solid tumors over normal tissue, and demonstrate clean in-vivo toxicity profiles in the context of potent immunotherapies.”