BOEHRINGER INGELHEIM ENTERS GLOBAL LICENSING AGREEMENT TO DEVELOP AND COMMERCIALIZE INNOVATIVE ANTIBODIES FROM A*STAR FOR TARGETED CANCER THERAPIES
Boehringer Ingelheim and the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) today announced a global licensing agreement under which Boehringer Ingelheim will obtain exclusive worldwide rights to research, develop and commercialize products based on a panel of innovative, tumor-specific antibodies from A*STAR. Boehringer Ingelheim aims to use these antibodies to direct therapeutic effector mechanisms such as antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) and T-cell engagers exclusively to tumor cells, and to that end develop a range of highly targeted cancer treatments.
“Boehringer Ingelheim believes that these promising antibodies in-licensed from A*STAR will help us advance potent therapeutic candidates against key molecular cancer targets,” says Clive R. Wood, Senior Corporate Vice President and Global Head of Discovery Research at Boehringer Ingelheim and continues: “We look forward to developing these assets for a broad range of cancers with the goal to deliver breakthrough opportunities for patients.”
Boehringer Ingelheim is pioneering a range of versatile therapeutic platforms in order to develop innovative medicines that target the tumor directly (tumor cell-directed therapies) or that enable the immune system to target the tumor (immune cell-targeted therapies). One tumor cell-directed modality is antibody drug conjugates, which allows for delivery of toxins directly into tumor cells. Another is T-cell engagers facilitating direct contact between T-cells and tumor cells, leading to T-cell-mediated killing of the tumor. Both technologies are directed towards markers on the surface of cancer cells, also known as antigens, in order to attack tumor cells but spare healthy tissues.
The innovative antibodies from A*STAR can potentially enable the development of safer, more efficacious therapies as they selectively bind to antigens that are highly expressed on tumor cells but are absent on normal healthy tissues.
Under the terms of the agreement, Boehringer Ingelheim will be responsible for further research, preclinical and clinical development as well as commercialization of targeted cancer therapies using the antibodies from A*STAR. A*STAR may receive payments totalling >100 million EUR in upfront and success-based development and commercialization milestones.
The technology used to identify the unique A*STAR antibodies resulted from a multi-institutional collaboration in Singapore. A*STAR’s Genome Institute of Singapore (GIS) and Institute of Bioengineering & Bioimaging (IBB) generated antibodies which exclusively target antigens that were initially identified from gastric cancer cells. Experimental Drug Development Centre (EDDC), Singapore’s national platform for drug discovery and development hosted by A*STAR, then optimized the antibodies and confirmed their applicability to a range of other solid cancers. EDDC also demonstrated the utility of these antibodies in directing different therapeutic modalities selectively to cancer cells.
Professor Damian O'Connell, Chief Executive Officer of EDDC, says, “As Singapore's national drug discovery and development platform, EDDC is proud to translate great science in Singapore into valuable assets that can enable the precise treatment of cancer. We believe that Boehringer Ingelheim, with its broad expertise and technologies, is the right partner to maximize the potential of these antibodies for the development of safer, more targeted therapies for cancer patients.”
Professor Tan Sze Wee, Assistant Chief Executive (Enterprise) of A*STAR, says, “These antibodies were developed in Singapore through close collaboration across multiple institutions. There was also strong support by the Singapore Gastric Cancer Consortium. The agreement is testament to the best-in-class research taking place in Singapore. Cancer is a devastating disease, and we hope the fruits of our research can improve patient outcomes.”
Please click on the link for “Note to Editors’ and ‘References’:
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/20220602005475/en/
Contact information
For media queries and clarifications:
Dr. Reinhard Malin
Innovation Unit Communications
Corporate Affairs
Boehringer Ingelheim
Tel: +49 6132 77-90815
Email: reinhard.malin@boehringeringelheim.com
Owen Sia
Assistant Head, Corporate Communications
Agency for Science, Technology and Research
Tel: +65 6517 7866
Email: owen_sia@hq.a-star.edu.sg
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
PUMA Partners with Logistics Reply to Accelerate AI-Driven Innovation in Warehousing20.11.2025 12:00:00 EET | Press release
Logistics Reply, the Reply group company specialising in innovative supply chain, has extended its collaboration with global sportswear brand PUMA to further optimise daily logistics operations and enhance user experience through the integration of GaliLEA, an AI-powered assistant built on the LEA Reply™ platform. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251120676732/en/ Thanks to GaliLEA, PUMA has seen significant improvements in their daily use of the LEA Reply WMS, including increased user autonomy with less reliance on external support, faster management through quick data access and assisted ticket creation, real-time operational insights for better decision-making, and streamlined logistics workflows that enhance overall system interaction. Following the successful rollout of the LEA Reply™ Warehouse Management System (WMS) across four key distribution centers in Austria, South Africa, and India between 2022 and
euNetworks Appoints Nick Walden as Chief Revenue Officer20.11.2025 11:00:00 EET | Press release
euNetworks has today announced the appointment of Nick Walden as Chief Revenue Officer, effective 02 December 2025. Nick will be based in London and will drive all facets of euNetworks’ sales and commercial strategy. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251120550034/en/ Nick Walden - CRO of euNetworks Nick joins euNetworks following 30+ years in the Telecommunications industry, most recently having led the Global Sales function for Infinera (now Nokia) as Senior Vice President – Worldwide Sales. Prior to this, Nick served as Senior Vice President & Managing Director EMEA at Infinera following over a decade of experience in leadership roles at Ciena. “It’s an incredibly exciting time to be joining euNetworks, building on their strong growth and momentum as a critical bandwidth infrastructure provider across Europe. euNetworks’ relentless customer obsession aligns closely with my passion for delivering value for cust
MVNO Europe calls on the European Commission to enable a true Single Market for mobile connectivity and Internet of Things (IoT) through the Digital Networks Act20.11.2025 10:56:00 EET | Press release
The upcoming legislative proposal for a Digital Networks Act (DNA) marks a defining moment for the European Union to build a true Single Market for electronic communications based on openness, competition and innovation. MVNO Europe believes the upcoming DNA should build on the achievements of the existing EU regulatory framework by strengthening competition among diverse providers. This competition drives innovation and delivers tangible benefits for European consumers and businesses. Ensuring genuine choice for end users is essential to maintain Europe’s global competitiveness. In light of the DNA, MVNO Europe stresses the importance of preserving and reinforcing key aspects of the European Electronic Communications Code (EECC): Maintaining the Significant Market Power (SMP) regime is essential to safeguard competition. MVNO Europe calls for the express ability to apply SMP rules to any markets, including mobile markets, as it is vital to prevent abuse of dominant market positions an
Breker Verification Systems and Frontgrade Gaisler Collaborate on High-Reliability RISC-V Fault Tolerant Processor Core20.11.2025 10:00:00 EET | Press release
Breker Verification Systems, whose portfolio solves challenges across the functional verification process for large, complex semiconductors and Frontgrade™ Technologies, a leading provider of high-reliability electronic solutions for space and national security missions today confirmed its RISC-V functional verification solutions were pivotal for verification of the NOEL-V, one of Frontgrade Gaisler’s fault-tolerant RISC-V processor IP cores. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251120600508/en/ “The development of Frontgrade Gaisler’s IP cores is guided by a philosophy that does not tolerate design issues,” notes Jan Andersson, Director of Engineering at Frontgrade Gaisler. “This demands the most robust verification environment, something Breker’s verification solution has contributed to improve, with its broad range of tests and in-depth corner case coverage.” The ultra-high verification coverage afforded by Brek
Verne and Nscale Announce 15MW AI Infrastructure Deployment to Accelerate Sustainable AI Infrastructure Growth in the Nordics20.11.2025 10:00:00 EET | Press release
Verne, the leading provider of low-carbon high-performance data centres across the Nordics, has signed a 15-megawatt agreement with Nscale, the hyperscaler engineered for AI. This collaboration marks a significant step in expanding sustainable AI capacity in Europe. The agreement will feature approximately 4,600 NVIDIA Blackwell Ultra GPUs deployed across Verne’s Icelandic campus throughout 2026. The configuration will be 85 percent liquid-cooled and 15 percent air-cooled, optimised for efficiency and density within Verne’s existing infrastructure. This project is one of the region’s largest liquid-cooled GPU installations, setting a new standard for sustainable high-performance computing by reducing energy use and environmental impact. Dominic Ward, CEO, Verne, said: “The pace of change in AI infrastructure is extraordinary. As the demand for GPU capacity accelerates, availability of clean, renewable power has become as important as raw performance. Partnering with Nscale, whose exper
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