LDC & SOTIO Enter License & Collaboration Agreement

The Lead Discovery Center GmbH (LDC), Max Planck Innovation GmbH (MI), and SOTIO a.s. have signed a collaboration and license agreement providing SOTIO with exclusive rights to an oncology program addressing a novel target in tumor metabolism. It was discovered at the Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing and jointly advanced by the LDC and Max Planck scientists into drug discovery.

Under the terms of the agreement, the LDC and its academic partners will perform further lead optimization and identify corresponding biomarkers for the program in collaboration with SOTIO. Upon nomination of a preclinical candidate, SOTIO will be responsible for the preclinical and clinical development as well as subsequent marketing and commercialization.

The LDC is eligible to receive research funding from SOTIO as well as upfront, development and sales milestone payments plus royalties on net sales of the product. Any revenues received by the LDC will be shared with the academic inventors, the Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing and the Max Planck Society. Financial details were not disclosed.

“We are excited to collaborate with SOTIO”, said Dr. Bert Klebl, CEO of the LDC. “The team at SOTIO combines strong, global development expertise with the dynamic spirit of a mid-sized innovation leader. This makes them an ideal partner for translating the results of our collaborative efforts with the Max Planck team into novel therapies. Together we have investigated and developed a completely new molecular mechanism for the potential future therapy of cancer patients. With SOTIO on board, we are perfectly positioned to progress this new drug candidate to patients as fast as possible.”

Ladislav Bartonicek, CEO of SOTIO, added “Targeting cancer metabolism is a highly attractive and innovative approach for the treatment of cancer. Based on the world-class research at Max Planck, the team at LDC has generated very interesting lead candidates on this first-in-class cancer metabolism program with a promising safety and efficacy profile. We very much look forward to our collaboration with Max Planck and the LDC.”

The Lead Discovery Center (LDC) was established in 2008 by the technology transfer organization Max Planck Innovation, as a novel approach to capitalize on the potential of excellent basic research for the discovery of new therapies for diseases with high medical need. The LDC takes on promising early stage projects from academia and transforms them into innovative pharmaceutical leads that reach initial proof-of-concept in animals. In close collaboration with high-profile partners from academia and industry, the LDC is building a strong and growing portfolio of small molecule leads with exceptional medical and commercial potential.

The LDC sustains a preferred partnership with the Max Planck Society and has formed alliances with AstraZeneca, Bayer, Boehringer Ingelheim, Merck KGaA, Daiichi-Sankyo, Qurient, Johnson & Johnson Innovation, and Roche as well as leading translational drug discovery centres around the globe.

SOTIO is an international biotechnology company leading the efforts of PPF Group to build a diverse biotechnology portfolio through its own research & development, collaborations, in-licensing, investments, mergers, and acquisitions. The company is developing new medical therapies, focusing on the treatment of cancer and autoimmune diseases. The most advanced project is its proprietary platform of active cellular immunotherapy (ACI) based on dendritic cells. SOTIO is conducting multiple Phase I to Phase III clinical trials verifying the safety and efficacy of its DCVAC products. SOTIO is also collaborating with NBE Therapeutics on the development of novel antibody-drug conjugate products (ADC) and with Cytune Pharma on developing novel IL15-based immunotherapies for the treatment of cancer. SOTIO has facilities in Europe, the United States, China, and Russia.

Max Planck Innovation is responsible for the technology transfer of the Max Planck Society and, as such, serves as a link between industry and basic research. With its interdisciplinary team, it advises and supports scientists in evaluating their inventions, filing patents, and founding companies. Max Planck Innovation offers the industry unique access to the innovations of the Max Planck Institutes, and therefore performs an important task: the transfer of basic research results into products, which contributes to economic and social progress.