Innovent, a biopharmaceutical company that develops medicines for oncology, autoimmune, metabolic and other diseases, and Alector, Inc., a clinical stage biotechnology company developing therapeutics focused on the immune system, have entered into a licensing agreement to develop and commercialize an anti-SIRP-alpha antibody (Alector’s AL008) for the treatment of oncology indications in China.

AL008 is Alector’s novel antibody targeting the CD47-SIRP-alpha pathway, a potent survival pathway co-opted by tumors to evade the innate immune system. AL008 is a first-in-class SIRP-alpha inhibitor with a unique dual mechanism of action that non-competitively antagonizes the CD47-SIRP-alpha pathway by inducing the internalization and degradation of the inhibitory receptor on macrophages to relieve immune suppression (a “don’t eat me signal”) while also engaging Fc gamma to promote immuno-stimulatory pathways that drive anti-tumor immunity.

Under the agreement, Innovent will lead the development and commercialization of the molecule in China, including the manufacturing of the product. Alector will lead development of AL008 outside of China. Financial terms are not disclosed.