SHANGHAI and SAN DIEGO, Sept. 03, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- EpimAb Biotherapeutics, Inc. (“EpimAb” or “EpimAb Biotherapeutics”) a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company specializing in the discovery and development of multi-specific antibodies for diseases with high unmet need, and Vignette Bio, Inc. (“Vignette” or “Vignette Bio”) a clinical stage company incubated by Foresite Labs and backed by Foresite Capital, Qiming Venture Partners USA, Samsara BioCapital, and Mirae Asset Capital Life Science, announced today that EpimAb and Vignette have entered into a license agreement for EpimAb’s BCMA-targeting T-cell engager (TCE) EMB-06.
Under this agreement, EpimAb will grant Vignette the exclusive rights to develop and commercialize EMB-06 outside of Greater China (mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan), while EpimAb shall retain the rights to EMB-06 in Greater China. EpimAb will receive total upfront considerations of $60 million in cash and equity of Vignette, and will be eligible to receive up to $575 million development, regulatory and commercial milestones, plus royalties on net sales.
“EpimAb is excited to enter into this partnership with Vignette on EMB-06, which is well positioned to realize the potential of EMB-06,” said Dr. Chengbin Wu, CEO and founder of EpimAb. “EMB-06 is the first candidate developed with our proprietary T-cell engager platform and has shown promising clinical activity when evaluated in patients with multiple myeloma. We look forward to evaluating the potential of EMB-06 in autoimmune diseases.”
“Emerging clinical data using B-cell depletion in autoimmune diseases has shown compelling results,” said Michael Rome, managing director at Foresite Capital and lead investor of Vignette. “EMB-06 is a promising clinical asset and we look forward to building a leading company focused on T-cell engagers for autoimmune diseases.”
EMB-06 is the first TCE developed within EpimAb’s T-cell engager platform, which combines EpimAb’s proprietary FIT-Ig bispecific platform and CD3 binder panel, and EpimAb’s in-house discovery and antibody engineering expertise. This allows EpimAb to quickly generate and screen a suite of engagers in the discovery stage for diseases of interest, and advance TCE candidates that could provide the optimal efficacy and safety profile into the pre-IND and clinical stages.
About EpimAb Biotherapeutics, Inc.
EpimAb Biotherapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company specializing in the development of multi-specific antibodies. Utilizing a broad range of in-house research and technology capabilities, including the proprietary FIT-Ig® (Fabs-In-Tandem Immunoglobulin) and MAT-Fab (Monovalent Asymmetric Tandem Fab) bispecific platform, EpimAb is generating and globally advancing a unique pipeline of transformative preclinical and clinical assets that aim to benefit cancer patients. For further information, please visit: www.epimab.com
About Vignette Bio, Inc.
Vignette Bio was formed in 2024 with a focus on innovative therapies to address immunology and inflammation associated diseases. The company has been incubated by Foresite Labs, an incubation platform led by an experienced team of scientists, engineers, and operators who believe that the tools of data science, when applied with scientific rigor, will greatly accelerate scientific discovery and the development of new products and services that benefit patients. Vignette Bio is backed by Foresite Capital, Qiming Venture Partners USA, Samsara BioCapital, and Mirae Asset Capital Life Science.
About Foresite Labs
Foresite Labs is a center for entrepreneurial innovation at the nexus of data science and healthcare. Based in San Francisco and Boston, Foresite Labs partners with next generation healthcare entrepreneurs to launch life sciences and healthcare companies that use the tools of data science to solve our greatest unmet medical needs. For more information, please visit www.foresitelabs.com.
EpimAb Biotherapeutics Contact
Investor Contact
Yuan Wang, Director of Investor Relations
Direct: +86-21-61951011
IR@epimab.com
BD Contact
Dr. Jason Tang, BD Director
Direct: +86-21-61951014
yesheng.tang@epimab.com
Vignette Bio Contact
Kayla Abbassi
Phone: +1-562-412-2038
kaylaa@vsc.co
