Phenomic AI announced this week strategic solid tumor cell research partnership with Astellas Pharma, through its subsidiary Xyphos Biosciences.
The collaboration aims to leverage Phenomic's scTx single cell transcriptomics platform to develop antibodies targeting a novel tumor stroma identified by scTx. These antibodies will be explored for their potential to enhance cell therapy approaches for treating solid tumors. Phenomic says that stroma-rich cancers, such as colorectal and pancreatic cancers, are amongst the hardest to treat in part because of the tumor stroma: a complex tissue that protects cancerous cells from therapies and supports cancer growth. Phenomic’s platform aims to address this challenge by identifying targets to potentially overcome the barrier the tumor stroma creates.
Under the terms of the deal, Phenomic will receive an upfront payment, full research funding, and a milestone payments, while Astellas gains a first right to negotiate a license for the antibodies during the agreement's term.
Phenomic, established in 2020 in Toronto, aims to leverage AI/ML to uncover drug targets arising from cell-cell interactions, particularly for challenging diseases. The scTx platform integrates a vast single-cell RNA dataset from human tissues with robust analysis and validation tools. Using advanced AI and machine learning algorithms, it enables comprehensive analysis of diverse data, including imaging, RNA sequencing, and spatial transcriptomics.
News of its partnership with Astellas broke a day after its announcement of a deal worth up to $500 million with Boehringer Ingelheim. In this arrangement, Boehringer will hold the choice to license newly identified targets as a foundation for innovative cancer treatments. Boehringer will manage all aspects of non-clinical and clinical development, along with the commercialization of related cancer therapies. Phenomic will receive upfront and near-term payments totaling around $9 million and stands to earn over $500 million in licensing fees and milestone payments.