Cambridge startup, GO Therapeutics make $195 million deal with Roche

This agreement grants Roche exclusive license for antibodies generated against novel cancer-specific targets and to develop a new glycotargeting bispecific antibody.

By Rajaneesh K Gopinath

GO Therapeutics Inc. (GO), an immuno-oncology startup company headquartered at Cambridge was founded in 2014. It applies new advances in glycoproteomics to develop potent, yet toxic free cancer therapeutics that are antibody-based. On October 2^nd, the company announced that it has entered into a license agreement with Roche. This collaboration would facilitate the entry of its drug into the clinic by 2020. According to this agreement, Roche will pay GO $9 million upfront and the remaining $186 million in milestone payments. On top of this, GO would also receive royalties on any future product sales.

Constantine Theodoropulos, the chief executive officer of GO Therapeutics expressed his excitement over the deal. “We are excited about this collaboration to develop an innovative immune-redirected therapy to potentially improve the lives of patients suffering from cancer in the future,” he said in a statement. “GO’s glycoprotein targeting platform opens an exciting class of tumor-specific antigens that can help widen the therapeutic window for cancer therapies such as T-cell bispecific antibodies, CAR-T and ADCs (Antibody Drug Conjugates). Preclinical data show GO’s approach can provide superior specificity in targeting solid tumors over normal tissue, and demonstrate clean in-vivo toxicity profiles in the context of potent immunotherapies.”

Roche is expected to begin clinical trials on the licensed drug candidate in 2020, with GO starting clinical trials on its own drug candidate next year. GO is also developing a pipeline of other antibodies targeted against lymphomas, glioblastomas, liver, kidney and lung cancer tumors.

References

1. http://gotherapeutics.com/2018/10/go-therapeutics-enters-into-a-license-agreement-with-roche-for-new-glycotargeting-bispecific-cancer-treatment/
2. https://www.bizjournals.com/boston/news/2018/10/02/cancer-startup-go-therapeutics-eyes-clinic-after.html

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Author

Rajaneesh K. Gopinath