This Memo sticks: CSL bites in Switzerland for antibody collaboration

It´s not just for the winter olympics: Team Switzerland reaches for biotech medals as well. The plasma specialist CSL is placing its bets on Swiss technology and has concluded a collaboration and option agreement with Memo Therapeutics. For products based on the Dropzylla platform, the agreement can reach a total value of up to CHF 265 million. The deal underlines the strategic importance of innovative antibody technologies from the Swiss biotech ecosystem.

Specifically, Memo will develop recombinant polyclonal IgG candidates for which CSL has secured exclusive licensing options. If the option is exercised, Memo will receive research funding, a licence fee, as well as development and sales milestone payments for the first product, complemented by a single-digit royalty. In substance, the collaboration is aimed at new treatment options for rare and serious diseases.

The Dropzylla platform is based on microfluidic single-cell technology for cloning human antibody repertoires. Recombinant polyclonal IgG antibodies are produced in the laboratory and mimic the natural immune response, offering potential advantages over plasma-derived products in terms of consistency, specificity and scalability.

Positive for Memo

For Memo, the deal represents an important milestone against the backdrop of mixed clinical news. In 2024, the company increased its Series C financing to CHF 45 million, thereby broadening its investor base in the European environment. At the same time, Memo suffered a setback last year: a Phase II trial with the anti-BK polyomavirus antibody potravitug missed its primary endpoint, but showed indications of histological improvements, meaning that further development into Phase III is planned. Whether and when a new trial will be set up is not yet communicated.