Roche taps Dualitas in $1B bispecific deal
Roche will pay Dualitas Therapeutics $36.5 million upfront in a research collaboration that could be worth up to $1 billion to discover bispecific antibodies for immune and inflammatory diseases.
Why it matters: Bispecific antibodies, long concentrated in oncology, are increasingly moving into autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. Roche is already developing several approaches in the field, and the Dualitas deal gives it a way to search much more broadly for new target combinations.
By the numbers: Roche will pay Dualitas $36.5 million (€31.8 million) upfront. Research, development and commercial milestones could bring the total deal value to $1 billion (€871 million), plus tiered royalties.
- Dualitas plans to functionally screen more than 300,000 bispecific combinations under the collaboration, in “what is believed to be one of the largest-scale bispecific discovery endeavors,” according to the company’s announcement.
- Once candidates are identified, Roche will take responsibility for preclinical development, regulatory activities, manufacturing and commercialization.
How it works: Dualitas’ DualScreen platform searches for pairs of cell-surface targets that work better together than either target does alone. The company’s own bispecifics combine an antibody against a therapeutic target with a “proximity engager” designed to bring cell-surface proteins together and amplify the biological effect. Rather than starting with a predetermined pair of targets, DualScreen can test large numbers of combinations in functional assays.
Backstory: Dualitas was founded in 2023 and emerged from stealth in September 2025 with a $65 million Series A, co-led by Versant Ventures and Qiming Venture Partners USA. Eli Lilly and Roche subsidiary Chugai’s venture fund were among the strategic investors.
- Its internal pipeline includes DTX-102 for rheumatoid arthritis, DTX-103 for allergic disease and DTX-101 for dermatologic and gastrointestinal autoimmune diseases. DTX-102 is currently in IND-enabling studies, with Dualitas saying its pipeline is expected to begin entering the clinic next year.
The big picture: Roche has been rapidly adding new antibody approaches in immunology. Earlier this month, it licensed Simcere Zaiming’s CD79a×CD19×CD3 trispecific SIM0660 for up to $1.53 billion. The Dualitas collaboration now broadens that search beyond individual assets to large-scale discovery of new bispecific combinations.
Yes, but: Not every attempt has worked: Roche discontinued the CD19×CD3 bispecific RG6382 in lupus this summer after concluding that the molecule did not have the characteristics needed to continue development in the indication.
