Utrecht (the Netherlands), Cambridge, Massachusetts (USA) – Dutch biopharmaceutical start-up Lava Therapeutics B.V., today announced that it has entered into a research and license agreement with Janssen Biotech, Inc., one of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson, to discover and develop novel bispecific antibodies to gamma-delta T cells for the treatment of cancer. The collaboration was facilitated by Johnson & Johnson Innovation.
Under the terms of the agreement, Lava Therapeutics will perform discovery and product development activities, and is eligible to receive an undisclosed financial package consisting of an upfront payment and potential development and commercial milestones, and future tiered royalties.
“We are excited to enter into this collaboration with Janssen, a global innovator and leader in the development of new medicines,” said Stephen Hurly, CEO of Lava Therapeutics. “We strongly believe in the strength of our bispecific gamma-delta T cell engager platform and are committed to creating highly potent, target-specific therapeutics with increased durability and safety over current T cell-based approaches.”
Gilde Healthcare acted as lead investor in the first institutional investment round of €16M in 2018. Gilde Healthcare’s Operational Partners Prof. Dr. Paul Parren and Dr. Andrea van Elsas are actively involved as Head of R&D and Chair of the Scientific Advisory Board, respectively.
About Lava Therapeutics
Lava Therapeutics is developing a proprietary bispecific antibody platform that engages gamma-delta T cells for the treatment of hematological and solid cancers. The company’s first-in-class immuno-oncology approach activates V?9V?2 T cells upon binding to membrane-expressed tumor targets. Lava was founded in 2016 based on intellectual property originating from the Amsterdam University Medical Center, and is backed by Lupus Ventures, Biox Biosciences, Versant Ventures, Gilde Healthcare and MRL Ventures Fund. The company has established a highly experienced antibody research and development team located in Utrecht, the Netherlands (headquarters) and Philadelphia. For more information, please visit www.lavatherapeutics.com.
About Gilde Healthcare
Gilde Healthcare is a specialized healthcare investor managing over €1.4 billion ($1.5 billion) across two fund strategies: venture & growth capital and private equity. Gilde Healthcare’s venture & growth capital fund invests in fast growing companies active in digital health, medtech and therapeutics. The venture & growth companies are based in Europe and North America. Gilde Healthcare’s private equity fund invests in profitable European lower mid-market healthcare companies with a focus on the Benelux and DACH region. The private equity fund targets healthcare providers, suppliers of medical products and service providers in the healthcare market.
For more information, visit the company’s website at www.gildehealthcare.com.