DGAP-News: Press Release: 4SC Discovery and BioNTech launch strategic cancer therapy research partnership
(firmenpresse) - DGAP-News: 4SC AG / Key word(s): Agreement/Alliance
Press Release: 4SC Discovery and BioNTech launch strategic cancer
therapy research partnership
20.02.2013 / 07:30
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Press Release
4SC Discovery and BioNTech launch strategic cancer therapy research
partnership
Planegg-Martinsried and Mainz, Germany - 20 February 2013 - 4SC AG
(Frankfurt, Prime Standard: VSC), a discovery and development company of
targeted small molecule drugs for autoimmune diseases and cancer, today
announced that its wholly owned research subsidiary 4SC Discovery GmbH has
entered into an extensive research partnership in the field of cancer
medicine with biopharmaceutical company BioNTech AG, Mainz, Germany.
In this service partnership, which has commenced at the beginning of the
year and will run for three years, 4SC Discovery will be commissioned by
BioNTech to identify new small molecule anti-cancer drugs for defined
therapeutic targets and optimise these for BioNTech. BioNTech is planning
to conduct preclinical testing and, if successful, bring the compounds to
the clinical development stage.
As part of this collaboration, the two partners are already working on four
cancer therapy projects at various stages of early-phase pharmaceutical
research.
Under the partnership, BioNTech will pay 4SC Discovery a cost-based service
fee as well as success-based payments on achievement of specific
development or sales milestones plus royalties linked to future net sales
of the products.
This is the second strategic partnership forged by the two companies. In
December 2012, 4SC Discovery and BioNTech concluded a license agreement for
4SC Discovery's TLR agonists for use in cancer immunotherapy. Under the
agreement, 4SC Discovery received an up-front payment of EUR 2.5 million
from BioNTech and is entitled to subsequent success-based payments on
achievement of specific sales milestones and to royalties on net sales. In
return, BioNTech received an exclusive license for the worldwide marketing
and commercialisation rights to the TLR agonists.
Dr. Daniel Vitt, Managing Director of 4SC Discovery GmbH and Chief
Scientific Officer of 4SC AG, said: 'We are very pleased to be entering,
within such a short time, into a second strategic partnership with BioNTech
- a highly innovative pioneer in the field of cancer immunotherapy. We
believe that we can make a valuable contribution to BioNTech's research and
development success with our expertise in compound screening and the
discovery and optimisation of small molecule drug candidates.'
Dr. Ulrich Dauer, Chief Executive Officer of 4SC AG, added: 'This
comprehensive partnership with such a reliable and trusted partner as
BioNTech will considerably strengthen 4SC Discovery in the long term. This
collaboration also brings us closer to our goal of generating a positive
operating cash flow with 4SC Discovery as early as this year. Moreover we
are pleased to be able to benefit from the possible continued success of
the compounds we have co-researched, thereby increasing the potential to
further boost 4SC's enterprise value in the future.'
Prof. Dr. Ugur Sahin, Chief Executive Officer of BioNTech AG, noted: 'The
partnership with 4SC Discovery - a company with great innovative strength
and vast expertise in the discovery and optimisation of small molecule
drugs for cancer medicine - is an ideal endorsement of our competencies.
This collaboration will help to further extend our portfolio of innovative
cancer therapies with synergistic products.'
Ends
About BioNTech AG
BioNTech AG (Biopharmaceutical New Technologies) is a spin-off of Johannes
Gutenberg-Universität Mainz. As a holding company with six subsidiaries,
BioNTech researches and develops novel immune-based technologies to boost
the body's immune system for the targeted treatment of numerous cancers.
The company owns a number of cancer-specific target structures and uses
proprietary technology platforms to develop medicines that are specifically
directed against these target structures. BioNTech also researches,
develops and manufactures diagnostics for the detection of cancer, based
upon identification of selectively expressed biomarkers.
About 4SC Discovery GmbH
4SC Discovery GmbH is a wholly-owned subsidiary of 4SC AG that offers
technologies and tailored research services covering drug discovery and
chemical optimisation through to a preclinical development candidate. The
company focuses its services on offering customers in the pharmaceutical,
biotech and chemical industries the cost and time-to-market benefits that
result from a drug discovery and optimisation process based on a powerful,
computer-aided, screening and discovery platform. In addition, 4SC
Discovery also applies its comprehensive pharmacological expertise to
investigating new compounds in the areas of cancer and autoimmune disease -
a strategy also intended to further enhance the clinical development
pipeline for the 4SC Group. 4SC Discovery aims to engage in partnerships
with pharmaceutical and biotech companies to accelerate the development of
its research programmes and further advance their commercialisation.
About 4SC Group
The Group managed by 4SC AG discovers and develops targeted small-molecule
drugs for the treatment of diseases with a high unmet medical need in
various autoimmune and cancer indications. These drugs are intended to
provide patients with innovative treatment options that are more tolerable
and efficacious than existing therapies, and provide a better quality of
life. At the end of September 2012, 4SC Group had 90 employees. The company
was founded in 1997. 4SC AG has been listed on the Prime Standard of the
Frankfurt Stock Exchange since December 2005.
Legal Note
This document may contain projections or estimates relating to plans and
objectives relating to our future operations, products, or services; future
financial results; or assumptions underlying or relating to any such
statements; each of which constitutes a forward-looking statement subject
to risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control. Actual
results could differ materially, depending on a number of factors.
For more information about 4SC please visit www.4sc.com and
www.4sc-discovery.de or contact:
4SC AG
Jochen Orlowski, Corporate Communications&Investor Relations
jochen.orlowski(at)4sc.com, Tel.: +49-89-7007-63-66
MC Services
Raimund Gabriel, Mareike Mohr
raimund.gabriel(at)mc-services.eu, Tel.: +49-89-2102-2830
mareike.mohr(at)mc-services.eu, Tel.: +49-89-2102-2840
The Trout Group
Chad Rubin
Crubin(at)troutgroup.com, Tel.: +1-646-378-2947
For more information on BioNTech, please contact:
Professor Dr. Ugur Sahin
Tel: +49-6131-576-270-14
End of Corporate News
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Language: English
Company: 4SC AG
Am Klopferspitz 19a82152 Martinsried
Germany
Phone: +49 (0)89 7007 63-0
Fax: +49 (0)89 7007 63-29
E-mail: public(at)4sc.com
Internet: www.4sc.de
ISIN: DE0005753818
WKN: 575381
Listed: Regulierter Markt in Frankfurt (Prime Standard);
Freiverkehr in Berlin, Düsseldorf, München, Stuttgart
End of News DGAP News-Service
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