Araris Biotech AG, a Swiss oncology biotech company developing next-generation antibody drug conjugates (ADCs), has entered a Research Collaboration and Option to License Agreement under which Araris will use its proprietary linker-conjugation platform, AraLinQ, to generate novel ADCs using antibodies against undisclosed targets provided by Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. Araris will receive an upfront fee and is eligible for milestone payments potentially totalling USD 780 million plus royalties on net product sales.
Araris Biotech is a leading independent company pioneering the future of antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) and redefining the entire paradigm of targeted cancer therapy and beyond. Araris’ proprietary conjugation and multi-payload technology enables the transformation of any antibody into an ADC with the goal of better safety and efficacy. By enabling the attachment of multiple, synergistic cancer-fighting payloads to a single antibody in an efficient one-step process, Araris is creating a new generation of smart missiles that deliver the potency of combination chemotherapy in a targeted fashion in order to tackle the persistent challenges of cancer resistance.
Araris has entered a Research Collaboration and Option to License Agreement with Chugai Pharmaceutical Co. Under the terms of the RCO Agreement, Chugai will pay an upfront fee, fund all research activities and after exercising the option be solely responsible for the development, manufacturing and global commercialization activities. Upon achievement of certain development, regulatory and commercial milestones by Chugai after exercising the option, Araris will be eligible for potential milestone payments of approximately USD 780 million, plus royalties on net sales of products.
As a drug manufacturer and a pioneer in biotechnological and pharmaceutical research, Chugai is a leading presence in the Japanese therapeutic antibody market and has gained reputation worldwide for its proprietary antibody engineering technologies. Chugai Pharmaceutical was founded in 1925. It entered into a strategic alliance with Roche in October 2002, becoming a member of the Roche Group. Chugai has over 7,500 employees and has its headquarters situated in Tokyo, Japan.
"We are excited to enter a collaboration with Chugai Pharmaceutical and look forward to working closely with the Chugai team and apply our ADC technology to develop next-generation ADCs with improved efficacy and tolerability," said Dr. Dragan Grabulovski, CEO and co-founder of Araris.
Dr. Philipp Spycher, CSO and co-founder of Araris added: "This second collaboration with a large pharmaceutical company is a testimony of the attractiveness of our highly differentiated ADC platform and its potential to generate innovative ADCs with excellent pharmacokinetic properties and wide therapeutic index, incorporating dual- or triple-warheads into one step on native antibodies, without any requirement of prior antibody engineering."
(Press release / SK)
The new Swiss Venture Capital Report was published on 26 January. It analyses 304 financing rounds closed in 2020 and includes further article such as an interview with Michael Hengartner, President of the ETH Board, and a list of Swiss "soonicorns". 
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