AbbVie has entered new collaborations to advance early-stage research in key therapeutic areas such as oncology and immunology.

AbbVie and Pure MHC entered a research and license agreement to discover and validate peptide targets for use with T-cell receptor therapeutics in several types of cancers.Pure MHC has developed technology to identify novel, tumor-associated peptides based on innovation licensed from the University of Oklahoma. The collaboration aims to identify a library of peptide targets for further research across multiple tumor types and advance AbbVie’s next-gen immuno-oncology therapies.

AbbVie has entered into an exclusive license with Dong-A-ST, a specialty healthcare company in South Korea, for MerTK inhibitors in preclinical development for use in conjunction with immuno-oncology therapies. MerTK is a protein that is believed to contribute to the promotion of immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment. The collaboration will explore the combination of MerTK inhibitors in conjunction with AbbVie’s portfolio of anti-cancer agents across multiple types of solid tumors.

Also, a partnership with Zebra Biologics, Inc. aims to discover agonist antibody therapeutics for inflammatory diseases. Zebra will use its function-based antibody discovery platform to generate antibodies that activate biological pathways associated with AbbVie targets. The companies will collaborate on the identification and preclinical validation of emerging, undisclosed candidates. Zebra will lead the discovery of candidate agonist antibodies and will collaborate with AbbVie in preclinical validation of select clinical candidates. AbbVie would be responsible for clinical development, manufacturing, regulatory approval and commercialization. 

“We can develop tomorrow’s most important therapies by investing in today’s leading technologies and scientific achievements,” said Michael Severino, M.D., executive vice president, R&D and chief scientific officer, AbbVie. “Combining the strengths of AbbVie’s discovery and development expertise and novel research from external partners will accelerate the pace of innovation into new medicines for the next-generation of medical treatment.”