Boehringer Ingelheim Acquires AMAL Therapeutics, Significantly Enriching Its Cancer Immunology Portfolio with Novel Cancer Vaccines Platform
Boehringer Ingelheim today announced its acquisition of all shares of AMAL Therapeutics SA, a private Swiss biotechnology company focused on cancer immunotherapy and advancing first-in-class therapeutic cancer vaccines derived from its technology platform KISIMA. AMAL’s lead vaccine ATP128 is currently developed for stage IV colorectal cancer and is slated to begin first-in-human trials later this month. Boehringer Ingelheim plans to develop new therapies by combining assets from its cancer immunology portfolio with AMAL’s proprietary KISIMA immunization platform.
“Acquiring AMAL is part of Boehringer Ingelheim’s long-term strategy to enhance our existing position as an innovator of novel cancer therapies, including immuno-oncology treatments, which leverage cutting-edge scientific discoveries and their applications,” said Michel Pairet, member of Boehringer Ingelheim’s Board of Managing Directors with responsibility for the company’s Innovation Unit. “We want to pioneer new paradigms of biology-based care for cancer patients, and the technologies and expertise developed at AMAL are critical to our efforts.”
The total transaction could amount up to EUR 325 million, and is comprised of an upfront payment as well as contingent clinical, development and regulatory milestones plus up to EUR 100 million if certain commercial milestones are hit.
“I am extremely proud of the hard work of AMAL’s entire team, which is validated by this acquisition, and very excited to further develop the KISIMA technology platform within Boehringer Ingelheim,” said Madiha Derouazi, Ph.D., Founder and Chief Executive Officer of AMAL Therapeutics. “Our new relationship with Boehringer Ingelheim will enable us to realize the full potential of our KISIMA platform to fight solid cancers while preserving AMAL’s approach to biotechnology research and our scientific and academic networks. Moreover, sharing resources and capabilities in clinical development will greatly help us to move ATP128 and other assets forward.”
Boehringer Ingelheim’s Cancer Immunology group is built to discover therapies that engage triggering of immune responses against non-inflamed, “cold” tumors, which represent a large group of cancer types refractory to many treatments, including checkpoint inhibitor drugs. Immune targeting of cold tumors is a particular challenge. AMAL’s KISIMA vaccine technology, designed to stimulate potent immune responses, is a promising therapeutic option for patients with these type of cancers.
The AMAL acquisition, along with that of the 2018 acquisition of Vira Therapeutics (Vira-T) and in-license of OSE Immunotherapeutics’ SIRP-alpha targeting antibody, significantly strengthens Boehringer Ingelheim’s strategic focus on immune cell-directed therapies. By combining its world-class in-house research and development with that of highly innovative biotechnology companies, Boehringer Ingelheim is developing innovative immuno-oncology therapies and accelerating the delivery of the next-generation of cancer treatments.
AMAL is headquartered on the medical campus of the University of Geneva, from which it was spun-out in 2012, with financial backing from a syndicate of both corporate and institutional investors, including the Boehringer Ingelheim Venture Fund and High-Tech Gründerfonds as the initial seed investors. Additional investments were provided by VI Partners, Helsinn Investment Fund, BioMed Partners and Schroder Adveq. AMAL’s technology platform and derived products are protected by a broad portfolio of patents and licenses.
KISIMA
Unlike prophylactic vaccines that immunize a patient to prevent an infection before it occurs, therapeutic vaccines combat existing diseases. Anti-cancer therapeutic vaccines carry antigens, pieces of protein that also are in tumors. By presenting antigens to the patient’s immune system, a vaccine can prompt tailor-made responses, including activation of killer T cells that target the tumor and can boost memory immunity to reduce the risk of relapse.
AMAL’s proprietary technology platform KISIMA enables the assembly of three functional components into one patented fusion protein used as a vaccine: First, a proprietary cell-penetrating peptide for antigen delivery; second, a proprietary toll-like receptor (TLR) peptide agonist as an adjuvant, and third, a multi-antigenic cargo that can be tailored for specific indications.
Please click on the link for Notes to Editors and References:
http://www.boehringer-ingelheim.com/press-release/acquisition-amal-therapeutics
To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190715005351/en/
Contact information
Media Contacts:
Boehringer Ingelheim
Linda Ruckel
Associate Director, Media and Corporate Reputation
Boehringer Ingelheim U.S.
Media + PR
P: + 203-791-6672
linda.ruckel@boehringer-ingelheim.com
Dr. Reinhard Malin
Head of Communications Innovation Unit
Boehringer Ingelheim Corporate Center GmbH
Media + PR
press@boehringer-ingelheim.com
P: +49 6132 77-90815
M: + 49 151 150 20 690
www.boehringer-ingelheim.com
AMAL Therapeutics SA
Laurence de Schoulepnikoff
Chief Business Officer
Tel: +41 (0) 22 379 46 88 contact@amaltherapeutics.com
Instinctif Partners (for International and English-speaking media)
Dr. Christelle Kerouedan
Tel: +44 (0) 207 457 2020 amaltherapeutics@instinctif.com
About Business Wire
For more than 50 years, Business Wire has been the global leader in press release distribution and regulatory disclosure.
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
Northern Escape Heli-Skiing Takes the Title of “World’s Best Heli-Ski-Operator” for the 4th Year Running5.12.2025 03:40:00 EET | Press release
Northern Escape Heli-Skiing (NEH) has been named World’s Best Heli-Ski Operator 2025 by the World Ski Awards, marking its fourth straight victory following years 2022, 2023 and 2024. This recognition places NEH amongst an elite group of ski tourism operators consistently voted best in the world by industry leaders and enthusiasts alike. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251204074550/en/ A four-year run built on reliability NEH operates in British Columbia’s Skeena Mountains, where deep northern snow and vast terrain come together with small-group heli-skiing and heli snowboarding. When helicopters can’t safely fly, NEH has cat skiing readily available as a backup — an exceedingly rare offering in this industry. The operation spans over 833,571 wild acres of alpine bowls, glaciers and old-growth tree skiing. The NEH experience Guests choose from three lodge formats designed for different group styles and expectat
Helical Fusion, Developer of Next-Generation Clean Energy Through Nuclear Fusion, Completes USD 5.5M Series A Extension Round5.12.2025 02:00:00 EET | Press release
Helical Fusion Co., Ltd. (Head Office: Chuo-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Takaya Taguchi; hereafter “Helical Fusion”), which is developing a next-generation energy source using Japan’s original Helical Stellarator technology to realize commercially viable fusion power plant in the 2030s, announced the completion of its Series A Extension round, raising approximately USD 5.5 million (≈ JPY 870 million). The round included investments from “Ecrowd NEXT”, a fund designed for individual investors, as well as multiple corporate investors and individual investors. As a result, Helical Fusion’s total Series A funding, including loans, amounts to approximately USD 21 million (≈ JPY 3.2 billion), bringing the company’s cumulative fundraising—including grants and loans—to approximately USD 38 million (≈ JPY 6.0 billion). With this funding, Helical Fusion will further accelerate development under its flagship program, the Helix Program—a comprehensive roadmap to achieve the world’s first commercially viable fu
IDE034, a Bispecific ADC Licensed by Biocytogen to IDEAYA, Receives FDA IND Clearance5.12.2025 02:00:00 EET | Press release
Biocytogen Pharmaceuticals (Beijing) Co., Ltd. (Biocytogen, HKEX: 02315), announced that its partner IDEAYA Biosciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: IDYA), a precision oncology company, has received the clearance of an investigational new drug (IND) application with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the initiation of a Phase 1 clinical trial of IDE034, a potential first-in-class B7H3/PTK7 bispecific antibody-drug conjugate (ADC). IDEAYA expects to begin patient enrollment in Q1 2026, initially evaluating patients with solid tumors known to express B7H3 and PTK7, including lung, colorectal, head and neck, and ovarian/gynecological cancers. IDE034 is a bispecific B7H3/PTK7 TOP1 ADC, independently developed by Biocytogen and licensed to IDEAYA in July 2024. The IND clearance marks an important milestone for this licensed program, supporting subsequent clinical development of IDE034, while highlighting Biocytogen’s technical capabilities in bispecific ADC discovery and development. Dr. Yue
Xsolla Integrates MVola as a Payment Method to Enable Instant, Card-Free Payments for Gamers in Madagascar’s Mobile-First Market4.12.2025 22:00:00 EET | Press release
Xsolla, a global video game commerce company that helps developers launch, grow, and monetize their games, today announced that MVola, Madagascar’s number one digital wallet, is now available as a payment option for players across the country. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251204268075/en/ Chris Hewish, President of Xsolla Madagascar is a fast-growing, mobile-first market of 32 million people, where digital wallets are the primary driver of daily transactions. MVola, recently licensed as a digital bank, has established itself as the leading wallet in the country, with over 10 million users and powering more than 1 billion transactions annually. By adding MVola as a payment method to its portfolio, Xsolla removes the friction of card payments, enabling players to pay seamlessly with a trusted local method they already know and use every day. Key benefits of the MVola integration include: Instant confirmations
Board Recognized as a Leader in the Gartner ® Magic Quadrant™ for Financial Planning Software for Fourth Consecutive Year4.12.2025 19:14:00 EET | Press release
Board, the leading Enterprise Planning Platform, today announced that it has been named a Leaderin the2025 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Financial Planning Software. This marks the fourth consecutive year the company has been positioned in the Leaders quadrant. The Board Enterprise Planning Platform integrates planning processes across the enterprise, enabling strategic, financial, and operational planning with near-real-time analysis and data sharing. Board’s unified approach to planning has driven strong adoption across financial and operational planning in the manufacturing, consumer packaged goods (CPG) and retail sectors. “We are proud to once again be named a Leader in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for Financial Planning Software,” said Jeff Casale, CEO of Board. “To Board, this recognition reflects our continued commitment to helping organizations unify strategic, financial, and operational planning within a single platform, and empower teams to plan continuously, make confident dec
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom