CytomX and ImmunoGen announce collaboration to develop Probody-Drug Conjugates against cancer targets

US biotech firms CytomX Therapeutics and ImmunoGen (Nasdaq: IMGN) have signed a collaboration agreement to develop Probody-drug conjugate (PDC) treatments for cancer.

Probodies are a potentially disruptive class of antibody therapeutics that may further broaden the opportunities for ADCs by localizing therapeutic activity to the tumor microenvironment. Under the terms of the agreement, the companies will collaborate to develop PDCs against a defined number of targets. This collaboration brings together CytomX’s proprietary antibody masking technology and tumor-selective protease substrates with ImmunoGen’s ADC cell-killing agents and engineered linkers.

Each company retains full development control of PDC compounds resulting from its target selection and is responsible for preclinical and clinical testing, manufacturing, and commercialization. Each company is entitled to potentially receive clinical and post-approval milestone payments from the other company, as well as royalties on the sales of any marketed products resulting from this collaboration.