Genentech inks US$400m IBD deal with OMass Therapeutics

Under the collaboration with Genentech Inc, OMass Therapeutics Ltd will receive US$20m upfront and more than US$400m in milestone payments, as well as undisclosed royalty payments on net sales. To this end, the 2016 spin-off from the University of Oxford (working group of Prof. Dr. Dame Carol Robinson) is using its OdyssION platform to develop oral small molecules against a complex first-in-class target molecule in inflammatory bowel disease. OMass Therapeutics uses its NativeMS-based platform to identify and analyse ligands for membrane proteins or complexes in a native lipid environment. The company already has a Phase I-ready candidate in its development pipeline.

“Using our OdyssION platform, we have made significant progress with this novel, first-in-class target with a differentiated mechanism of action in inflammatory bowel disease,” stated Ros Deegan, CEO of OMass Therapeutics. The OdyssION platform provides conformational information in a native environment and offers MS-based detection of binding and stoichiometry of ligand binding, including allosteric binding, which offers advantages in identifying ligands for targets considered undruggable.

Under the collaboration, OMass will lead the initial preclinical development of the programme through candidate selection. Genentech will be responsible for clinical development, regulatory activities, manufacturing and commercialisation.