On April 15, 2020 TScan Therapeutics, a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of T cell receptor (TCR) therapies which reprogram a patient’s own T cells to recognize shared cancer targets, reported an agreement with Novartis to discover and develop novel TCR-engineered T cell therapies (Press release, TScan Therapeutics, APR 15, 2020, View Source [SID1234556330]). The collaboration includes an upfront technology access fee and research funding totaling $30 million, and potential milestone payments contingent on clinical, regulatory and sales success that could aggregate in the hundreds of millions of dollars. The collaboration will leverage TScan’s proprietary platform to discover novel cancer antigens that may be targeted by TCR-based therapies.
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"As one of the only companies able to efficiently discover novel cancer antigens that can be targeted with TCR-based therapies, we are delighted to be collaborating with Novartis to develop important TCR treatments," said David P. Southwell, President and Chief Executive Officer, TScan. "We see expansive potential for our platform and this collaboration gives us the opportunity to work with Novartis to develop novel TCR therapies, while at the same time preserving our ability to develop our own proprietary pipeline in both liquid and solid tumors."
Under the agreement, TScan will identify and characterize TCRs, and Novartis will have the option to license and develop TCRs for up to three novel targets. Novartis will also have rights of first negotiation for additional targets and TCRs that arise from the collaboration. In addition to the milestones, Novartis will pay TScan mid-single to low double-digit royalties on net sales for each product. TScan is free to develop TCRs against targets not licensed by Novartis.
"Novartis is a proven leader in the area of T cell therapy, and this collaboration helps us move rapidly and effectively toward our goal of delivering life-changing therapies to patients," added Gavin MacBeath, Chief Scientific Officer, TScan.