Boehringer Ingelheim and MacroGenics have entered into a global alliance to discover, develop and commercialize antibody-based therapeutics which may span multiple therapeutic areas, including immunology, oncology, respiratory, cardiometabolic and infectious diseases. These developmental drug candidates will be based on MacroGenics’ Dual-Affinity Re-Targeting (DART) platform and will be directed against up to ten combinations of molecular targets.

"This alliance represents the largest external commitment to our DART platform to date and the latest validation of our ongoing efforts,” said Dr Scott Koenig, MacroGenics’ president and chief executive officer. “We are very pleased to be collaborating with the global pharmaceutical research-driven company Boehringer Ingelheim toward the goal of developing next-generation, antibody-based therapeutics.”

"Combining MacroGenics’ innovative DART-based antibody platform with our experience and capabilities in drug discovery and development has the potential to generate breakthrough medicines that will help patients with a range of diseases which cannot be adequately treated at present,” said professor Wolfgang Rettig, senior vice president Corporate Research of Boehringer Ingelheim.

Both companies will share responsibility for discovery and certain preclinical activities. In addition, Boehringer Ingelheim will have sole responsibility for all subsequent preclinical, clinical, regulatory, commercial and manufacturing activities for any DART-based product resulting from the collaboration.

During the first three years of the collaboration, MacroGenics expects to receive payments of about US$ 60 million, which includes an upfront cash payment, annual maintenance fees, R&D funding, and near-term research-based milestones.

MacroGenics is a private, venture-backed biotechnology company that focuses on the discovery, development and delivery to patients of novel biologics for autoimmune disorders, cancer and infectious diseases.