Nurix Therapeutics Inc. and Sanofi SA will collaborate to discover, develop and commercialize a pipeline of protein degradation therapies. Nurix receives $55 million up front and is eligible for about $2.5 billion in total payments based on achieved milestones. To start, Nurix will design small molecules to induce degradation in three specific targets while Sanofi has the option to up the ante to five targets. Sanofi receives exclusive rights and will handle clinical development and commercialization, and Nurix retains the option to co-develop and co-co-promote up to two products in the U.S.

Centyrin antisense oligo deal with Ionis brings potential $1.4B-plus for Aro

Philadelphia-based Aro Biotherapeutics Co. inked a licensing and collaboration deal with Ionis Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Carlsbad, Calif., by way of which the latter will use the former’s Centyrin technology to develop targeted cell- and tissue-specific delivery of antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs). Specifically, the firms aim to make ASO-Centyrin conjugates that are designed to achieve tissue-specific, therapeutically effective gene knockdown in extra-hepatic tissues with systemic administration. The deal brings an up-front cash payment for Aro, funding to fuel R&D efforts, and payments of up to $1.4 billion associated with the achievement of development and commercial milestones. Centyrins are described as small, structurally simple, ultra-stable, highly soluble proteins that could deliver big drug payloads in cancer with less toxicity.

Boehringer inks $1B+ antifibrosis deal with Singapore's Enleofen Bio

Fresh off ending one antifibrosis program in December, Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH is spinning up an expansive new effort in the area this month, promising Singapore-based Enleofen Bio Pte. Ltd. potential payouts of more than $1 billion per product from a preclinical interleukin-11 platform. The exclusive rights deal is aimed at developing monoclonal antibodies for multiple fibrotic disorders, including nonalcoholic steatohepatitis and interstitial lung diseases, Boehringer said. Enleofen is a spin-out from the National Heart Centre Singapore at Singhealth and Duke-NUS Medical School in Singapore.

Empirico scores $660M deal with Ionis and lands a series A-2 fundraiser

It’s a big day for privately held Empirico Inc. as it embarks on a massive combo pharma deal with Ionis Pharmaceuticals Inc. while racking up a $17 million series A-2 financing. In the collaboration, Empirico will identify the targets and Ionis can advance as many as 10 of them. The two companies plan to use human genetics data in their efforts with programs Ionis already has in the works, and that includes target validation, the indication and biomarker selection, and patient stratification. In the three-year collaboration, Ionis made a $10 million equity investment in Empirico, with near-term commitments of as much as $30 million, based on operational and preclinical milestones. Empirico could receive more than $620 million by achieving clinical development, regulatory and commercial milestones, plus royalties on net sales.

Alderaan closes $21M A round for anti-CD25 antibodies

Alderaan Biotechnology SAS is the latest contender to enter the hotly contested world of regulatory T-cell (Treg) depletion in cancer. The Paris-based company closed an €18.5 million (US$20.6 million) series A round to take forward a series of CD25-directed antibodies that target CD25, which is highly expressed on activated Treg cells, while sparing interleukin-2 (IL-2) signaling. It’s a strategy similar to that which Stevenage, U.K.-based Tusk Therapeutics Ltd. followed and which led to an early exit, an acquisition in 2018 by Roche Holding AG for €70 million up front and up to €585 million in milestones.

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