AbCellera and Vertex Pharmaceuticals have entered into a collaboration to research, develop, manufacture and commercialize multispecific T-cell engagers (TCEs) for autoimmune diseases and other serious conditions, bringing together AbCellera’s antibody discovery capabilities with Vertex’s drug development and commercial expertise.
Under the agreement, AbCellera will use its proprietary T-cell engager platform to lead discovery and early development activities for programs covered by the collaboration. Vertex will fund all research and development costs and will have the option to develop and commercialize therapeutic multispecific antibodies emerging from the partnership.
The deal provides AbCellera with $28 million in upfront payments. The biotechnology company is also eligible for additional preclinical, development, regulatory and commercial milestone payments, as well as tiered royalties on net sales of products resulting from the collaboration.
The companies may also agree for AbCellera to provide additional services for selected programs. These could include cell line development, process development and clinical manufacturing through Phase 1, giving the collaboration the potential to extend beyond early-stage antibody discovery into initial clinical development.
The partnership focuses on multispecific T-cell engagers, a class of medicines designed to bring immune cells into close contact with specific disease-associated cells. While T-cell engagers have been widely investigated in oncology, the technology is increasingly attracting interest as a potential approach for autoimmune diseases, where researchers are exploring ways to selectively target or eliminate pathogenic immune cell populations.
AbCellera’s T-cell engager platform is designed to support drug discovery through early clinical manufacturing. The company says the platform includes proprietary panels of antibodies that bind CD3, a component of the T-cell receptor complex, along with costimulatory targeting arms, multispecific protein engineering technologies, novel molecular formats and high-throughput functional assays.
The integrated platform is intended to allow researchers to identify and engineer multispecific antibodies with different biological properties and target combinations. AbCellera has been applying its antibody discovery technologies across several therapeutic areas, including cancer and autoimmune conditions.
Carl Hansen, founder and CEO of AbCellera, said the company sees its T-cell engager platform as an important source for advancing new therapeutic programs into clinical development. He said the collaboration with Vertex could help accelerate the development of new therapies by combining the companies’ respective capabilities.
Vertex Chief Scientific Officer Mark Bunnage said the company is interested in exploring AbCellera’s capabilities in discovering and engineering multispecific antibodies. He added that the partnership could support the development of new treatment options for patients with serious diseases.
For Vertex, the agreement expands its research activities into an antibody-based modality and provides access to AbCellera’s specialized T-cell engager technology. The collaboration also complements Vertex’s broader focus on developing transformative therapies across serious disease areas.
For AbCellera, the partnership provides additional validation for its T-cell engager platform and creates a potential pathway for multiple programs to advance through development under a large pharmaceutical partner. Vertex’s funding of research and development activities also reduces the financial burden on AbCellera while allowing the company to participate in downstream economics through milestones and royalties.
The companies have not disclosed specific autoimmune disease targets or the number of programs covered by the collaboration. The agreement, however, is expected to allow the partners to explore multiple multispecific antibody approaches across autoimmune diseases and other conditions.
Interest in T-cell engagers has grown as drug developers seek new ways to manipulate the immune system with greater precision. In autoimmune diseases, the approach is being investigated as researchers look for therapies that can address disease-driving immune cells while potentially offering more targeted mechanisms than broad immune suppression.
AbCellera’s platform combines antibody discovery, multispecific engineering and functional testing, which could provide the companies with flexibility to explore different target combinations and molecular formats. The ability to potentially carry selected programs into cell line development, process development and Phase 1 manufacturing could further support continuity from discovery into early clinical development.
The collaboration adds another partnership to AbCellera’s strategy of using its discovery technologies both for internal programs and through collaborations with pharmaceutical companies. For Vertex, it creates an opportunity to assess multispecific T-cell engager technology in autoimmune diseases and other areas where new therapeutic approaches could address significant unmet medical needs.
The companies will now begin research activities under the agreement, with future progress expected to depend on the identification and validation of promising multispecific T-cell engager candidates and their ability to advance through preclinical and clinical development.