Jazz Pharmaceuticals and AbCellera Partner on GI Cancer Drug Discovery

The collaboration tasks AbCellera with initial research for two programs, with a third discovery project slated to begin within the next year. Should the research yield viable candidates, Jazz holds exclusive worldwide rights to develop and commercialize the resulting therapies. If all milestones and option fees are met, the potential value of the deal could reach $792 million per program, supplemented by tiered royalties on future net sales.

AbCellera will deploy its proprietary platform, which integrates CD3-binding antibodies and high-throughput functional assays, to tackle these difficult-to-treat cancers. Josh Allen, chief scientific officer of oncology at Jazz, noted that the partnership aligns with the company’s focus on rare diseases. For his part, AbCellera CEO Carl Hansen stated that the platform's ability to drive targeted immune activation could significantly improve patient outcomes compared to current treatment standards. The agreement also allows for the potential launch of two additional programs, with AbCellera potentially handling investigational new drug-enabling studies and clinical supply manufacturing.