Gilead is making a move in the hunt for antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) that target solid tumors by tapping Tubulis, a German biotech that specializes in the molecules, to collaboratively discover and develop a topoisomerase I inhibitor-based ADC candidate, the companies announced in a Dec. 3 release.
Gilead is paying Tubulis $20 million upfront, and, if Gilead exercises the option, Tubulis will receive a separate option exercise fee of $30 million, the companies said in the release. The Munich-based company is also eligible for development and commercialization milestone payments totaling up to $415 million, plus tiered royalties on sales of products resulting from the team-up.
Through the deal, Gilead will gain access to Tubulis’ proprietary Tubutecan and Alco5 platforms. Tubutecan is a linker-payload platform that Tubulis used to develop TUB-040 and TUB-030, ADCs that have shrank tumors in mouse models of solid tumors including ovarian cancer, non-small cell lung cancer and triple negative breast cancer.
Tubulis will helm early-stage research and development activities for the ADC program. Gilead will be responsible for further development and commercialization for all products resulting from the collaboration that the drugmaker chooses to exclusively license, according to the release.
“As we expand our oncology portfolio to address the greatest gaps in care, accessing novel technologies is critical to advancing our pipeline,” Gilead’s executive vice president of research Flavius Martin, M.D., said in the release. “We are excited to partner with Tubulis to explore a range of solutions that may help increase the therapeutic value of the ADC modality.”
Tubulis was founded in 2019 and was selected for the 2024 Fierce 15 this past year.
Gilead isn’t the only Big Pharma to take an interest in Tubulis’ ADC tech. BMS paid the company $23 million upfront in April 2023, with over $1 billion in potential milestones, for exclusive access to use Tubulis’ tech for a select number of “highly differentiated” ADCs targeting solid tumors.
Tubulis is trying to stand out from other ADC players by reducing the drugs’ toxicity. ADC Therapeutics dropped its lead solid tumor ADC candidate in mid-November after the drug showed an unfavorable risk-benefit profile in a phase 1b trial.
And Pyxis Oncology’s shares took a tumble a couple of weeks ago when its solid tumor ADC candidate, while showing a solid safety profile, had only a “modest” effect in numerous tumor types, according to analysts.