Germany-based Heidelberg Pharma, a wholly owned subsidiary of Wilex, has signed a license agreement with Roche covering the development of a novel class of antibody drug conjugates (ADCs) based on Heidelberg Pharma’s patented technology to couple α-Amanitin to antibodies. The license agreement covers initial joint research to apply this technology to multiple Roche antibodies towards the identification of development candidates with favorable efficacy/safety profiles.

Heidelberg Pharma will receive regular payments for granting access to its technology and providing research services. Roche will subsequently have the opportunity to exercise options for licenses to develop and market selected Antibody Targeted Amanitin Conjugates (ATACs). Heidelberg Pharma will manufacture these substances and receive customary upfront payments, milestone payments and royalties for each development candidate selected by Roche.

Dr. Jan Schmidt-Brand, managing director of Heidelberg Pharma and chief financial officer of Wilex, said, “This cooperation is an important external validation of our technology. We will use this cooperation to jointly explore and technically expand the applicability of our technology to selected antibodies.”

Dr. Klaus Bosslet, heading Roche discovery oncology in Germany, said, “We look forward to collaborating with Heidelberg Pharma to elect and develop the most promising ATACs. Ultimately, these ATACs may provide novel treatment options for cancer patients, whose tumors do not respond to available cancer therapeutics.”