
Germany-based cancer therapeutics provider Veraxa Biotech has partnered with OmniAb to develop a novel bispecific antibody-drug conjugate (bsADC) programme for solid tumours.
The collaboration integrates OmniAb’s transgenic antibody discovery solutions with Veraxa’s proprietary antibody drug conjugate (ADC) linker technology to advance next-generation therapeutic discovery.
Under the partnership, Veraxa will initiate a bsADC programme focusing on two target molecules in cancer treatment.
The company will employ OmniAb’s transgenic antibody discovery solutions to source high-quality human antibody leads, which are naturally optimised through in vivo affinity maturation.
Veraxa will then apply its proprietary linker technology to establish the bsADC lead candidate and will handle preclinical validation.
The resulting bsADC programme will be jointly owned by Veraxa and OmniAb, with both parties sharing future revenues from development, licensing, and commercialisation efforts.
Veraxa is committed to advancing its pipeline of ADCs and proprietary BiTAC formats into clinical development.
Veraxa CEO and co-founder Christoph Antz said: “This partnership brings together two highly complementary technologies to create a new class of bispecific ADCs.
“Bispecific ADCs represent a powerful opportunity to address difficult-to-treat solid tumours, and this collaboration fits squarely within our mission to drive innovation through targeted partnerships.
“Strategic collaborations will continue to be a mainstay in Veraxa’s pipeline growth strategy, and today’s announcement marks the second major initiative within the past six months, following our first radiopharmaceutical alliance late last year.
“We look forward to advancing this discovery program alongside OmniAb and deliver novel therapeutic solutions for patients with significant unmet needs.”
Recently, Veraxa entered into a business combination agreement with Voyager Acquisition Corp., a Cayman Islands-based special purpose acquisition company (SPAC).
The proposed merger values Veraxa Biotech at an implied pro forma equity value of approximately $1.64bn, assuming no redemptions by Voyager’s public shareholders.
Upon closing, Veraxa is expected to become a publicly traded company listed on NASDAQ.
The merger will provide the company with access to capital and infrastructure to scale its oncology pipeline, which includes both clinical-stage and discovery-phase assets.