Exelixis, Inc. has signed a collaboration agreement with Genentech for the discovery and development of therapeutics to target cancer, inflammatory diseases, and tissue growth and repair.

The collaboration combines the intellectual property and biological capabilities of both companies to target proteins and genes that are involved in cell proliferation and differentiation. Under the collaboration, Genentech will primarily focus on generating antibodies to proteins provided by Exelixis, and the companies will jointly assess their utility in a variety of cancer, inflammation and tissue repair models.

Under the terms of the collaboration, Genentech will pay Exelixis an upfront payment and provide R&D funding over three years. For therapeutics developed in cancer, Exelixis will receive milestone and royalty payments. Exelixis maintains an option to share a portion of the costs and profits associated with the development, manufacturing and commercialization of products in either the tissue growth and repair field or the inflammation field, according to the company release.

George A. Scangos, president and chief executive officer of Exelixis said, "We have developed a set of assets, including know-how, biological insights and intellectual property which we believe has substantial potential as antibody targets. While Exelixis continues to focus on the development of small molecules for cancer, this collaboration allows us to access Genentech's resources and expertise in antibody development that we do not have internally. We are extremely pleased that Genentech will work with us to generate antibodies for the specific proteins that are part of the collaboration."

Initially, Exelixis and Genentech will work together to develop assays and reagents to determine the therapeutic potential of products developed under the collaboration. Genentech will bear responsibility for the manufacturing and clinical development of products developed under the collaboration.