Roche acquires rights to SQZ Biotech's technology

8 December 2015

USA-based SQZ Biotech has entered into a multi-million dollar partnership with Swiss pharma giant Roche (ROG: SIX) to develop a cell therapy platform that would empower a patient’s own immune cells to fight a broad range of cancers.

The deal leverages SQZ’s pioneering technology to engineer B cells as a therapeutic platform for oncology – a novel approach with the potential to overcome many of the shortcomings of current cell-based therapies.

The agreement provides for over $500 million in upfront and potential clinical, regulatory and sales milestone-based payments to SQZ, a spinoff of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, for advancement of all products across all planned indications, in addition to royalties on potential future products.

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