Combotope Therapeutics, a biotechnology company discovering tumour-selective antibodies against cancer-specific glycan-protein targets, has formed a strategic research collaboration with Boehringer Ingelheim.
The partnership will utilise Combotope’s proprietary Smart-Phage platform to generate highly tumour-selective antibodies for next-generation cancer therapies.
Combotope’s approach can identify antibodies that bind tumour-specific glycan structures together with their protein carriers (combotopes). These combined sugar-and-protein markers are often more common on cancer cells than on healthy tissue, providing a clearer “address label” to guide antibody-based medicines. This is relevant for hard-to-treat cancers where established targeted options are limited and may open new cancer-selective opportunities across modalities, such as antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs).
Ola Blixt, CEO of Combotope, said, “At Combotope, we focus on cancer-specific glycan-protein targets that conventional antibody approaches cannot selectively address. By combining glycan and protein recognition, we aim to enable a new class of tumour-selective antibodies and expand the range of viable targets in oncology. We are excited to partner with Boehringer Ingelheim to translate this approach into potentially differentiated therapies.”
The parties will collaborate on multiple oncology targets provided by Boehringer Ingelheim, with the potential to expand and address additional oncology targets over time. For each target, Combotope will apply its Smart-Phage antibody discovery platform to generate tumour-selective, high-affinity antibodies that recognise glycan-protein epitopes, supported by a defined package of antibody characterisation data. Boehringer Ingelheim will then assume responsibility for further development, manufacturing, and commercialisation of the resulting antibody-based therapies.
Under the terms of the agreement, Combotope will receive an upfront payment and research funding per target. The company is also eligible to receive development, regulatory, and commercial milestone payments across various targets, in addition to royalties on net sales of any resulting products. Boehringer Ingelheim will hold global development and commercialisation rights for products arising from the collaboration.
