Boehringer Ingelheim and Enara Bio Enter Strategic Collaboration and Licensing Agreement to Discover Novel Shared Antigens for Cancer Immunotherapies
12.1.2021 12:00:00 EET | Business Wire | Press release
Boehringer Ingelheim and Enara Bio, today announced that they have entered into a strategic collaboration and licensing agreement to research and develop novel targeted cancer immunotherapies, leveraging Enara Bio’s Dark Antigen™ discovery platform. This new collaboration combines Boehringer Ingelheim’s approach to tackle cancer through pairing leading science with innovative immune-oncology platforms, such as oncolytic viruses and cancer vaccines, with Enara Bio’s expertise in cancer antigen identification. The aim is to provide potential new therapies for patients with difficult to treat lung and gastrointestinal cancers.
“We are excited to partner with Enara Bio as part of our mission to bring transformative new treatments to cancer patients,” said Jonathon Sedgwick, Ph.D., Senior Vice President and Global Head, Cancer Immunology & Immune Modulation Research, Boehringer Ingelheim. “We are advancing a unique pipeline of cancer cell-directed agents, immuno-oncology therapies and intelligent combination approaches to help combat cancer. Enara Bio’s unique discovery platform offers a novel and highly differentiated approach that will allow us to look beyond the known proteome to identify and characterize Dark Antigens to support the development of T-Cell Receptor (TCR)-directed immunotherapies and therapeutic vaccines. We believe this is a highly innovative and promising approach to the development of the next wave of cancer immunotherapies.”
Enara Bio’s proprietary Dark Antigen Platform Technology (EDAPT™) will be used to discover and validate novel Dark Antigens in up to three tumor types in the lung and gastrointestinal cancer space. The discovery of shared antigens could lead to the development of vaccines that can be readily utilized to help a broader group of cancer patients.
Dark Antigens represent a new class of cancer-associated antigens that derive from the genomic dark matter, or the portion of the human genome that is normally not expressed as protein. Dark Antigen-encoding sequences are usually silenced in healthy cells but are activated and presented on tumor cells. They are associated with specific cancer types and, importantly, are shared across patients. Since typically not visible to the immune system, they represent a large potential repertoire of novel antigens that can be developed as targets for new immunotherapies.
“We are extremely pleased to enter this strategic licensing agreement, our first major deal leveraging our pioneering Dark Antigen discovery and validation capabilities,” said Kevin Pojasek, President and CEO of Enara Bio. “Boehringer Ingelheim is an innovation-led company dedicated to producing breakthrough treatments with a significant focus on cancer. We are excited to build this relationship and are encouraged that Boehringer Ingelheim shares our view of the potential of Dark Antigens to be a source of important and unconventional targets for novel cancer immunotherapies. This agreement provides strong validation for our science and our approach to exploiting the cancer-associated antigenic repertoire derived from genomic dark matter and we look forward to a productive collaboration.”
This collaboration with Enara Bio is the latest of several strategic partnerships and acquisitions for Boehringer Ingelheim to build its cancer vaccine platform and provides important validation for Enara Bio’s Dark Antigen platform. The past acquisitions of ViraTherapeutics and AMAL Therapeutics’ vaccine modalities coupled with Enara Bio’s capabilities position Boehringer Ingelheim to develop sophisticated virus and vaccine modalities for its prime/boost vaccine platform.
Under the agreement, Boehringer Ingelheim has the option to license Dark Antigens discovered and validated by Enara Bio. Boehringer Ingelheim will also be responsible for all non-clinical and clinical development, as well as commercialization of associated cancer immunotherapies, including therapeutic vaccines and T-cell redirecting biologics. Enara Bio retains rights to use any discovered antigens for use in cell therapy-based products.
Enara Bio is eligible to receive an upfront payment, together with research/preclinical milestones and licensing fees for each tumor type that is explored. Enara Bio is also eligible to receive more than EUR 876 million in clinical, regulatory and commercial milestones, in addition to royalties on future product sales.
Please click on the following link for ‘Notes to Editors’:
http://www.boehringer-ingelheim.com/press-release/strategic-collaboration-enarabio
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/20210112005444/en/
Contact information
Media Contacts
Boehringer Ingelheim
Dr. Reinhard Malin
Head of Communications Innovation Unit
Boehringer Ingelheim Corporate Center GmbH
Media + PR
P: 49 6132 77-90815
press@boehringer-ingelheim.com
Linda Ruckel
Senior Associate Director, Media and Corporate Reputation
Boehringer Ingelheim U.S.
Media + PR
P: 203-791-6672
press@boehringer-ingelheim.com
Enara Bio
Enara Bio Limited
Kevin Pojasek, CEO
P: +44(0)1865 504 994
info@enarabio.com
Citigate Dewe Rogerson
Mark Swallow, Frazer Hall, Nathaniel Dahan
P: +44 (0)20 7638 9571
enarabio@citigatedewerogerson.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
Meiji Seika Pharma Initiates Phase I Clinical Trial in Australia Evaluating ME3241, an Anti-PD-1 Agonist Antibody Discovered Through Collaborative Research With FBRI12.3.2026 08:00:00 EET | Press release
Meiji Seika Pharma Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Chuo-ku, Tokyo, Japan; President and Representative Director: Toshiaki Nagasato) announced today that it has initiated a Phase I clinical trial of ME3241 (development code), an anti-PD-1 agonist monoclonal antibody discovered through collaborative research with the Foundation for Biomedical Research and Innovation at Kobe (Headquarters: Kobe, Japan; President: Shuh Narumiya; hereinafter “FBRI”). The Phase I clinical trial is designed as a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind study, with the objective of evaluating the safety and tolerability of ME3241 following single and multiple dosing, as well as its pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT07422207). ME3241 was discovered through a collaborative research program led by Program Director Tasuku Honjo, a professor emeritus at Kyoto University. PD-1 is a molecule expressed on activated T cells and other lymphocytes that suppresses immune responses. Through this re
Redslim expands into Asia-Pacific to support global brands with data and AI infrastructure12.3.2026 08:00:00 EET | Press release
Redslim, a specialist in end-to-end data management solutions and an Astorg portfolio company, today announced its expansion into the Asia-Pacific region and the appointment of Kyriakos Zannikos as Regional Director, APAC. The move marks an important milestone in Redslim’s global growth strategy and brings the company closer to clients operating in one of the world’s fastest-growing and most data-driven consumer markets. As global consumer brands accelerate digital transformation and AI adoption, many organizations still struggle with fragmented data ecosystems spanning multiple agencies, markets and datasets. These challenges are particularly pronounced in Asia-Pacific, where diverse market structures and rapid growth create complex data environments. Redslim helps organizations transform fragmented market information into valuable data assets, empowering clients to make confident decisions and unlock the full value of their data. By building strong data foundations, Redslim supports
EIG’s MidOcean Energy to Acquire Additional Gorgon LNG Interest from JERA; Parties Explore Strategic Alliance12.3.2026 04:14:00 EET | Press release
MidOcean Energy (“MidOcean”), a liquefied natural gas (LNG) company formed and managed by EIG, today announced it has entered into definitive agreements with JERA Co., Inc. (“JERA”) to acquire JERA Gorgon Pty Ltd, which holds JERA’s 0.417% interest in the Gorgon LNG project. MidOcean is an existing participant in the Gorgon LNG project, and this transaction increases MidOcean’s interest in Gorgon to 1.417%. The transaction perimeter also includes JERA’s 0.735% interest in the Ichthys LNG project. Subject to the satisfaction of relevant conditions precedent, the interests in Gorgon and Ichthys will be sold to MidOcean, and then the Ichthys interest shall be transferred, subject to the satisfaction of further conditions, to an existing joint venture participant in the Ichthys LNG project. The acquisition increases MidOcean’s equity exposure to a large-scale, long-life, integrated LNG project operated by Chevron, further strengthening its portfolio of high-quality producing assets. In par
DCX Launches Comprehensive ECDU Portfolio – Enterprise-Class Coolant Distribution Units From 600 kW to 2.6 MW11.3.2026 17:34:00 EET | Press release
DCX Liquid Cooling Systems today unveiled its new ECDU (Enterprise Coolant Distribution Unit) platform, a family of three purpose-built CDU models that deliver real cooling capacities from 600 kW to 2.6 MW in industry-standard rack and in-row footprints. The portfolio has been engineered specifically for the accelerating transition to direct-to-chip liquid cooling in high-density enterprise, colocation, cloud, and hyperscale AI environments where thermal stability, uptime, and cost-efficiency are non-negotiable. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260311214891/en/ DCX ECDU, the new generation of Enterprise Coolant Distribution Units dedicated to HPC and AI deployments. The lineup consists of: Enterprise ECDU 1380/2600 V1 - Delivers 1.38–2.6 MW of actual cooling capacity (based on real-world secondary-loop conditions). Single-pump configuration reaches flow rates up to 3,333 liters per minute (lpm). Mission Critica
Laserfiche Earns 5-Star Rating in the 2026 CRN® Partner Program Guide11.3.2026 16:00:00 EET | Press release
Laserfiche — the leading SaaS provider of intelligent content management — has been honored by CRN®, a brand of The Channel Company, with a 5-Star Award in the 2026 CRN Partner Program Guide. This annual guide is an essential resource for partners seeking vendor partner programs that match their business goals and deliver high partner value. As organizations navigate growing pressure to increase productivity and respond to regulatory change, Laserfiche’s AI-powered document management solutions enable users to transform operations and achieve meaningful business results at scale. Partners that innovate with Laserfiche solutions have the opportunity to grow profits through the Laserfiche Partner Program, which equips them with the tools and resources needed to deliver customer success. Laserfiche’s partner ecosystem drives sustainable growth, delivers differentiated solutions and maximizes opportunities for both partners and their customers. Laserfiche provides comprehensive AI and clou
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