On February 19, 2025 Epitopea, a transatlantic cancer immunotherapeutics company developing accessible, off-the-shelf RNA-based immunotherapies, reported a license and research collaboration agreement with MSD (tradename of Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, N.J., USA) to identify CryptigenTM tumor-specific antigens (TSAs) in an undisclosed solid tumor (Press release, Epitopea, FEB 19, 2025, View Source [SID1234650375]). CryptigenTM TSAs are shared, non-mutated, aberrantly expressed antigens that are derived from what were thought to be non-coding regions of the genome or "junk DNA".
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Under the terms of the agreement, Epitopea will deploy its proprietary CryptoMapTM platform to identify and provide novel, immunogenic CryptigenTM TSAs for a prespecified tumor type. MSD will have the exclusive right to develop and commercialize therapeutics derived from the collaboration. In return Epitopea will receive an undisclosed upfront payment and is eligible for milestone payments with the potential to total up to $300 million per product.
"Epitopea has been at the forefront of identifying CryptigenTM TSAs, whose intratumor shared nature across patients has made them ideal targets for the development of off-the-shelf immunotherapies," commented Alan C. Rigby, Epitopea’s CEO. "At Epitopea we continue to accelerate the development of our preclinical pipeline as we transition to a clinical-stage company on the ‘heels’ of our recent, oversubscribed, pre-Series A financing. We believe that this strategic collaborative relationship with MSD, a leader in immunotherapy therapeutic development, provides us with an additional opportunity to validate the potential impact of these differentiated tumor specific antigens. We are thrilled to collaborate with MSD as our teams collectively look to impact the lives of patients with cancer by helping to improve outcomes."
"Despite the remarkable progress made in cancer treatment over the past decade, more therapeutic options are needed," said George Addona, senior vice president, discovery, preclinical development and translational medicine, Merck Research Laboratories. "We continue to explore new ways to build upon our strong foundation in immuno-oncology and look forward to collaborating with the Epitopea team."
"Having supported the company since its formation, we are thrilled that Epitopea’s next-generation antigen discovery platform will be leveraged in this license and research collaboration agreement with MSD, a leading biopharmaceutical company in the immuno-oncology space. This partnership provides strong validation for Epitopea’s unique capabilities and the potential to help develop breakthrough immunotherapies for cancer patients with the highest unmet need," added Michael Anstey, Partner at Cambridge Innovation Capital.