Macomics and Ono Pharmaceutical Partner to Discover and Develop Macrophage-targeting Antibody Therapy for the Treatment of Cancer
- Worldwide drug discovery collaboration agreement with Ono to develop new antibody drugs against a novel macrophage target of interest in immuno-oncology
- Macomics will develop antibody candidates against a novel target using its ENIGMACTM macrophage drug discovery platform
- Ono has an exclusive option to license global rights to the candidates for further development and commercialization
- Macomics will receive an up-front payment, R&D funding, and success-based milestone payments for development and commercialization progress, as well as tiered royalties based on global net sales.
EDINBURGH and CAMBRIDGE, United Kingdom, March 23, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Macomics Ltd, a leader in macrophage drug discovery, announces that it has entered into a worldwide drug discovery collaboration agreement with Ono Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (Osaka, Japan; President and CEO: Gyo Sagara; “Ono”) to develop new immuno-oncology antibody drugs against a novel macrophage target of interest in cancer.
Under the terms of the agreement, Macomics will identify and characterise antibody candidates against the novel target of interest using its ENIGMACTM macrophage drug discovery platform. Ono will have an exclusive option to license global rights to the candidates for further development and commercialization. Macomics will receive an up-front payment, R&D funding, and success-based milestone payments, as well as tiered royalties based on global net sales.
Macomics is exploiting the potential of macrophage-based approaches to develop novel precision medicines to target disease specific macrophage biology. Macomics’ ENIGMAC macrophage drug discovery platform integrates large volume human data sets, custom cell models, and proprietary human macrophage genome editing capability to discover novel targets and unlock disease specific target biology. Macrophages (TAMs) are often the most abundant immune cell many types of cancer and modulating TAMs can enhance the body’s ability to fight cancer.
Toichi Takino, Senior Executive Officer / Executive Director, Discovery & Research of Ono said, “Targeting macrophages in immune-oncology is emerging as an exciting area with significant opportunity to deliver novel therapeutics to improve cancer outcomes and to change the lives of patients with cancer. Macomics has demonstrated the power of its macrophage platform and drug discovery approach and we are delighted to partner with them on taking this novel target discovery program forwards.”
Stephen Myatt, CEO of Macomics said, “This global collaboration with Ono is a testament to our strong program portfolio, and the unique enablement offered by our ENIGMAC discovery platform, and our world class R&D team. Ono is a leader in immuno-oncology and we are delighted to have a partner in Ono who brings the complementary skills necessary to succeed in this therapeutic area.”
About Macomics – www.macomics.com
Macomics Ltd is an immuno-oncology company with world-leading expertise in macrophage biology, developing precision medicines to modulate macrophages for the treatment of cancer. The company is progressing a diversified portfolio of therapies targeting disease specific tumour associated macrophages (‘TAMs’) towards the clinic. Its ENIGMACTM macrophage drug discovery platform enables identification and validation of novel macrophage therapeutic targets and is based on its deep understanding of macrophage biology.
The company was co-founded in 2020 by Prof. Jeffrey Pollard and Dr. Luca Cassetta, University of Edinburgh, internationally recognised leaders in macrophage biology. It has R&D and office facilities in Edinburgh and Cambridge, UK and is backed by Epidarex Capital, Scottish Enterprise, LifeLink Ventures and Caribou Property Limited.
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For further information please contact:
Macomics
At the Company – Steve Myatt, CEO, Macomics E: myatt@macomics.com
Media enquiries (for Macomics) – Sue Charles, Charles Consultants T: +44 (0)7968 726585 E: sue@charles-consultants.com
