Benzinga | Jan 11, 2021 07:28AM EST

Strand Therapeutics And BeiGene Enter into Agreement to Develop Solid Tumor Immuno-Oncology Therapeutics Based on Strand's Next-Generation, Multi-Functional mRNA Technology; Strand To Receive $5M Upfront And Is Eligible To Receive $28M In Near-Term Payments

Strand Therapeutics, a privately held developer of next-generation, programmable mRNA therapeutics for cancer and other diseases, and BeiGene, Ltd. (NASDAQ:BGNE, HKEX: 06160))) today announced that they have entered intoStrand Therapeutics, a privately held developer of next-generation, programmable mRNA therapeutics for cancer and other diseases, and BeiGene, Ltd. (NASDAQ:BGNE, HKEX: 06160))) today announced that they have entered into an option and license agreement aimed at developing and commercializing Strand's innovative, multi-functional mRNA treatments for solid tumors. BeiGene has secured an option to an exclusive license to develop and commercialize in Asia (excluding Japan), Australia, and New Zealand up to two immuno-oncology programs using Strand's intratumoral or systemic delivery mechanism, which is designed to deliver a tumor microenvironment-modifying mRNA directly to the tumor site.

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Strand has developed the first platform for the creation of programmable, long-acting mRNA therapeutics capable of delivering multi-functional treatments for deadly diseases, with an initial aim of developing potentially curative treatments for solid tumor cancers. The company's self-replicating mRNAs are bioengineered to enable precise control of the location, timing, intensity, and duration of therapeutic protein expression for improved efficacy and lower toxicity.

"BeiGene is a recognized global leader in the development and commercialization of innovative, high-quality cancer therapeutics," said Jacob Becraft, Ph.D., Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Strand. "This collaboration between our two companies provides strong validation of Strand's next-generation mRNA platform and our work to advance mRNA-based medicines beyond vaccines into potentially curative therapies."

"We look forward to working closely with BeiGene's unsurpassed clinical team to accelerate the development of our solid tumor immuno-oncology therapies," said Tasuku Kitada, Ph.D., Co-founder, President, and Head of R&D of Strand. "The aim of both our companies is to increase patient access to cutting-edge therapeutics by providing safe and effective treatments that are more easily administered, cost-effective, and scalable."

"Strand's programmable mRNA technology is incredibly exciting as a cutting-edge therapeutic platform and is expected to help us build novel mRNA-based immuno-oncology therapeutics for the treatment of cancer. We look forward to exploring this technology further and to collaborating with Strand as we advance up to two development programs with this new approach," said Lusong Luo, Ph.D., Senior Vice President of External Innovation at BeiGene.

Under the terms of the agreement, Strand will receive an upfront cash payment of $5 million and will also be eligible to receive additional near-term payments totaling up to $28 million, inclusive of BeiGene's exercise of its options to the two programs following initial proof-of-concept studies. Additionally, Strand is eligible to receive payments from BeiGene based upon the achievement of certain development, regulatory, and sales milestones for a total deal value of up to $277 million, together with tiered royalties on any product sales in the licensed territory. In connection with the agreement, Strand also received investments of $10 million, including $5 million from BeiGene.