Takeda and Affilogic collaborate to develop Nanofitin-based therapies in CNS

Japan’s Takeda Pharmaceutical (TYO: 4502) and French privately-held biotech Affilogic have entered into a research collaboration to explore using Affilogic’s proprietary Nanofitins platform in therapies targeting the central nervous system.

Specifically, Affilogic and Takeda, through its research center in San Diego, California, will leverage their respective competencies to validate and optimize Nanofitins that enable Takeda to deliver biotherapeutic candidates into the brain to address neurological disorders.

Under the terms of the agreement, Affilogic will receive an upfront payment and research funding, and is eligible to receive additional development and sales milestone payments and royalties by Takeda. Takeda will be entitled to commercialize worldwide products incorporating Affilogic Nanofitins resulting from the collaboration.  Further details of the agreement were not disclosed.

“Takeda has world class expertise in central nervous system drug discovery and we are very enthusiastic to work together to develop innovative biotherapeutics for the treatment of a number of neurological diseases,” said Olivier Kitten, chief executive of Affilogic, adding: “Takeda is a partner of choice for Affilogic to significantly expand the number of research programs relying on our Nanofitins platform advancing into clinical trials.”

“The collaboration with Affilogic provides Takeda with an excellent opportunity to accelerate its modality diversification into biologics by utilizing the innovative Nanofitin technology that Affilogic has developed,” commented Dr Ceri Davies, head of Takeda’s central nervous system drug discovery.

Nanofitins are potent antibody-mimetics, exhibiting high affinity and specificity for capture, targeting and interaction with biomolecules. They can be easily conjugated to other moieties, such as antibodies, small molecules, and nanoparticles, to empower third parties’ molecules, their very small size triggering low impact on the natural properties of such payload.

Earlier this year Affilogic also signed up for collaborations for its Nanofitins platform with Sanofi and BIND Therapeutics, with the latter’s assets now owned by Pfizer.