Novartis further expands radioligand therapy pipeline signing deal with Molecular Partners

Swiss clinical-stage biotech Molecular Partners (SIX: MOLN) has entered into a collaboration with pharma giant Novartis (NOVN: VX) in the form of a license agreement to develop, manufacture and commercialize DARPin-conjugated radioligand therapies (DARPin-RLTs).

The collaboration will combine Molecular Partners’ industry-leading ability to rapidly generate high-affinity DARPins and the RLT capabilities and expertise of Novartis. It adds to a 2020 partnership between the companies, when Novartis licensed Molecular Partners’ anti-COVID-19 DARPin program, consisting of two therapeutic candidates, MP0420 and MP0423.

By harnessing the power of radioactive atoms and applying it to cancers through targeted radioligand therapy, RLTs have the potential to deliver molecularly targeted radiation to tumor cells anywhere in the body. Under the terms of the agreement, Molecular Partners will collaborate with Novartis to discover DARPin-RLTs that target specific tumor associated antigens. DARPins have great potential to enable robust, tumor-specific delivery of radioligands owing to their small size, allowing for greater tumor penetration, and high specificity and affinity.