Abbott Laboratories and Celera Genomics Group, an Applera Corporation business, announced the formation of a strategic collaboration to discover, develop and commercialize therapies for the treatment of cancer. The collaboration will encompass the development of therapeutic antibodies and small molecule drugs against over-expressed cell-surface proteins that have been associated with cancer and validated as therapeutic targets through proteomics research at Celera Genomics, an Abbott release said.

This collaboration links complementary elements of each company by pairing Celera Genomics' proteomics and target discovery efforts with Abbott's drug research, development, manufacturing and commercialization expertise. Abbott brings to the collaboration a full range of research capabilities and specific technology platforms, including expertise in RNAi for target validation, discovery of therapeutic small molecules and antibodies, preclinical and clinical development, process design and manufacturing and global distribution. Celera Genomics will contribute a subset of the cell-surface antigens that it has identified and validated through its ongoing proteomic studies in a number of solid tumours.

"This collaboration is another important strategic step in Abbott's oncology research programme," said Jeffrey M Leiden, president and chief operating officer, Pharmaceutical Products Group, Abbott Laboratories. "By combining Celera's leading-edge capabilities in proteomics and target discovery with Abbott's expertise in both small molecules and biologics, we believe that we will be able to deliver effective new therapies for the patients fighting certain cancers," he added.

"This collaboration demonstrates the potential value of Celera's therapeutic targets and technology to industry leaders such as Abbott. It represents an important milestone toward our goal of developing a pipeline of targeted therapies to address unmet medical needs in oncology," said Kathy Ordoñez, president, Celera Genomics. "Abbott's strong commitment to both antibody technology and small molecule drugs, coupled with its ability to bring products to the global market, make it an excellent therapeutic partner for Celera Genomics."

Under the terms of the agreement, a number of protein antigens identified and validated by Celera Genomics will be screened by Abbott. Any of these antigens may be selected for further research by Abbott to identify therapeutics for subsequent preclinical development. Abbott and Celera Genomics may elect to jointly fund clinical development and commercialization of the resulting therapeutic products and would then share any financial returns resulting from commercialization.

Abbott has responsibility for the commercialization of jointly funded collaboration products. If either party does not elect to jointly fund clinical development of a resulting product, the terms will revert to a milestone and royalty structure. In addition, Celera Genomics will receive additional payments from Abbott, contingent on the successful completion of certain preclinical milestones. Celera Diagnostics, a joint venture between Celera Genomics and the Applied Biosystems Group of Applera, retains certain diagnostic rights associated with selected targets. Other terms of the agreement were not disclosed.