Merck (MSD) and Janux Therapeutics announced a strategic collaboration and license agreement to discover, develop and commercialize innovative, next generation T cell engager immunotherapies for the treatment of cancer.
The goal of the collaboration is to use Janux’s proprietary Tumor Activated T Cell Engager (TRACTrTM) technology to engineer novel, T cell engager drug candidates directed against two cancer targets selected by Merck. The San Diego-based biotech's TRACTr technology employs a modular design to rapidly engineer drug candidates against specific targets.
The pair hopes to develop next generation T cell engager therapies that will make immunotherapy work for more cancer patients.
Under the terms of the agreement, Merck will receive an exclusive worldwide license to products and intellectual property developed from the collaboration. In exchange, Janux will be eligible to earn up to $500.5 million per target in upfront and milestone payments plus royalties on sales of any product derived from the collaboration.
Read the press release