Netherlands-based Synthon Biopharmaceuticals and Sanquin Blood Supply Foundation, Amsterdam, signed a license and collaboration agreement to develop anticancer antibodies targeting the CD47-SIRPα pathway. The agreement gives Synthon exclusive global rights to Sanquin’s lead CD47-SIRPα antibodies and intellectual property. No financial details were disclosed.

Synthon CSO, Dr. Marco Timmers, commented, “We are particularly pleased with this license and collaboration agreement, which combines Sanquin’s outstanding research capabilities with Synthon’s biopharmaceutical drug development and manufacturing excellence. This will enable us to accelerate the availability of important new therapeutic treatment options for cancer patients who may benefit from these.”

Sanquin is The Netherlands’ nonprofit organization for blood collection, production, and supply of blood and plasma products. The organization also carries out in-house, collaborative, and contract R&D in the fields of blood transfusion medicine and immunology.

Generics developer Synthon has been making strategic inroads into the specialty pharmaceuticals field since 2007, with a focus on biopharmaceuticals for oncology and autoimmune diseases. The firm is developing both generic biologics and a pipeline of new molecular entity antibody–drug conjugates (ADCs).

In December 2016, Synthon inked a deal with MacroGenics to develop the ADC MGC018 against solid tumors expressing B7-H3. The ADC candidate combines MacroGenics’ B7-H3 antibody with Synthon’s proprietary duocarmycin-based linker drug technology. 

During mid-2016, Synthon progressed its most advanced in-house ADC, the anti-HER2 candidate SYD985, into the second part of a Phase I clinical trial in heavily pretreated breast cancer patients with HER2-positive tumors.

Previous articlePharmaceutical Antitrust Enforcement in the Trump Administration
Next articleGenome Mining of Natural Products Could Lead to Novel Therapeutics