Nykode Therapeutics (Formerly Vaccibody*)) Enters Into Multi-target License and Collaboration Agreement With Regeneron to Develop Innovative Vaccines Against Cancer and Infectious Diseases
Nykode Therapeutics (formerly Vaccibody*)) (Euronext Growth (Oslo): VACC), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the discovery and development of vaccines and novel immunotherapies, announced today that it has entered into a license and collaboration agreement with Regeneron for the discovery, development and commercialization of potential new vaccines for cancer and infectious diseases.
The agreement includes five distinct programs, three within cancer and two within infectious diseases. Each of these may include several vaccine candidates, all of which being eligible for milestone and royalty payments. The vaccines will combine Regeneron’s unique antigen selection expertise and innovative VelociSuite® in vivo models with Nykode Therapeutics’ modular vaccine platform and expertise in vaccine design. Nykode Therapeutics will be responsible for vaccine generation and characterization, as well as product supply through the end of Phase 1 trials. Regeneron will be responsible for antigen identification, preclinical and clinical development, manufacturing (from the end of Phase 1 trials) and commercialization.
Under the terms of the agreement, Nykode Therapeutics will receive a USD 30 million upfront payment and a USD 20 million equity investment at a premium of 20% on a 30-day volume weighted average price of the Nykode Therapeutics share for the last 30 trading days before the effective date of the agreement. Additionally, Nykode Therapeutics will potentially be eligible to receive more than USD 875 million in milestone payments, plus high single-digit to low double-digit tiered royalties on sales of commercialized products arising from the collaboration, bringing the total potential value of the agreement to more than USD 925 million, plus royalties. Regeneron will cover costs for research, as well as potential clinical, regulatory, manufacturing and commercialization activities.
Michael Engsig, CEO of Nykode Therapeutics, said: “We are very pleased to have entered into this groundbreaking agreement with Regeneron that may accelerate the expansion of our pipeline and fully leverage our unique and modular vaccine technology platform within multiple, large and commercially significant disease areas, in line with our corporate strategy. The agreement further validates Nykode Therapeutics’ position as a leading next-generation immunotherapy platform company. We are thrilled about the choice of programs and their therapeutic potential within cancer, and prophylactic and therapeutic potential within infectious diseases.”
Agnete B. Fredriksen, Chief Innovation & Strategy Officer of Nykode Therapeutics, continued: “Regeneron has generated unique know how in selecting and validating immunogenic antigens from extensive analysis of patient material. These can now be incorporated into our vaccine platform to deliver the antigens directly to antigen presenting cells and optimize the likelihood of inducing strong and broad clinically relevant immune responses. Regeneron has also developed a unique suite of proprietary VelociSuite® technologies and in vivo models that can accelerate and improve the traditional drug development process, and they will use their deep clinical expertise to guide development of these novel vaccines. Therefore, Regeneron will be a tremendous partner as we work to bring multiple additional vaccines based on our technology platform to patients in the fastest and broadest manner and complement the expansion and acceleration of internal programs.”
Mikkel W. Pedersen, Chief Scientific Officer of Nykode Therapeutics, added: “We are excited about the opportunity to work with the Regeneron team. The extensive disease biology expertise of Regeneron coupled with Nykode Therapeutics’ modular and targeted vaccine platform will enable us to design and potentially bring into the clinic new unique therapeutic vaccine concepts within both oncology and infectious diseases.”
Gavin Thurston, Ph.D., Senior Vice President, Oncology Research, at Regeneron said: “Collaborating with Nykode Therapeutics will bring another dimension to Regeneron’s already robust research and development programs for oncology and infectious disease and, in particular, provides new opportunities to help people with challenging tumor types or infectious diseases with high unmet need. Nykode Therapeutics’ platform efficiently delivers vaccine payloads to antigen presenting cells and allows for vaccine candidates that can be easily manufactured. It has already shown robust CD8+ antigen-specific T cell responses in animal models and in patients with cancer. Combining their platform with our industry-leading VelociSuite® technologies and expertise may help to accelerate this emerging and promising therapeutic approach.”
Webcast
CEO Michael Engsig and other members of management will host a webcast on November 23, 2021 at 4 p.m. CET / 10 a.m. EST to present the license and collaboration agreement with Regeneron. The slides will be made available before the webcast. The webcast may be viewed here:
https://channel.royalcast.com/landingpage/hegnarmedia/20211118_4/
*) Vaccibody AS, which is changing its company name to Nykode Therapeutics AS, has called for an EGM on November 30, 2021, to vote for the approval of the change of its company name from Vaccibody AS to Nykode Therapeutics AS.
About Nykode Therapeutics
Nykode Therapeutics, is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, dedicated to the discovery and development of vaccines and novel immunotherapies for the treatment of cancer and infectious diseases. Nykode Therapeutics’ modular vaccine technology specifically targets antigens to Antigen Presenting Cells, which are essential for inducing rapid, strong and long-lasting antigen specific immune responses and elicit efficacious clinical responses.
Its lead product candidates are VB10.16, a therapeutic vaccine for the treatment of human papilloma virus 16 induced malignancies which is in Phase 2 for the treatment of cervical cancer; and VB10.NEO, a cancer neoantigen vaccine, which is exclusively outlicensed to Genentech and is in Phase 1b for the treatment of locally advanced and metastatic tumors and Phase 1/2a for the treatment of melanoma, lung-, head and neck, renal-, and bladder cancer. Additionally, Nykode Therapeutics has initiated a Phase 1/2 trial in 2021 with its two next-generation COVID-19 vaccine candidates.
The Company has collaborations with Roche, Genentech and Nektar Therapeutics within oncology, a multi-target collaboration agreement with Regeneron within oncology and infectious diseases, and a collaboration with Adaptive Biotechnologies for COVID-19 T cell vaccine development.
Nykode Therapeutics’ shares are traded on Euronext Growth (Oslo), a trading platform operated by Euronext, the leading Pan-European market infrastructure. The ticker code is VACC. Further information about Nykode Therapeutics may be found at http://www.nykode.com
Forward-looking statements for Nykode Therapeutics
This announcement and any materials distributed in connection with this announcement may contain certain forward-looking statements. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve risk and uncertainty because they reflect the company's current expectations and assumptions as to future events and circumstances that may not prove accurate. A number of material factors could cause actual results and developments to differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements.
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/20211122006740/en/
Contact information
Contact for Nykode Therapeutics:
CEO Michael Engsig
Nykode Therapeutics
IR@nykode.com
Nykode Therapeutics
Oslo Science Park
Gaustadalléen 21
N-0349 Oslo, Norway
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
500 Global and Creators HQ Support Creators and Founders Building Startups Collectively Valued at US$130M+13.1.2026 18:00:00 EET | Press release
500 Global, one of the world’s most active Silicon Valley-based venture capital firms1, and Creators HQ, the first content creator hub in the UAE and the Middle East enabling the creator ecosystem globally, announced the Creators Ventures Accelerator program is building and supporting creator-led startups collectively valued at over US$130 million.2 The Creators Ventures Accelerator received over 1,100 applications from content creators and technology startup founders across more than 70 countries. Following a competitive selection process, 21 creators and founders were chosen for the program. This cohort serves a community of 20M+ followers, subscribers, and users across platforms. “Creators represent a growing class of bona fide entrepreneurs, with 50 million creators globally, projected to grow at 10-20% annually over the next 5 years. The first iteration of this industry was built on visibility and virality to monetize. With consumers getting savvier and more discerning, we believe
Nexo Becomes First-Ever Title Partner of the U.S. ATP 500 Dallas Open in Multi-Year Deal13.1.2026 17:30:00 EET | Press release
Nexo, the digital assets wealth platform, has been named the U.S. ATP 500 Dallas Open’s first-ever Title Partner under a multi-year agreement beginning in 2026, as the company advances its long-term brand strategy through leading global sports properties. The partnership was unveiled in Dallas alongside the debut of the Nexo Dallas Open brand and the resurfacing of two public tennis courts in North Texas. As one of only two ATP 500 tournaments in the U.S. and the country’s sole indoor ATP Tour championship, the Dallas Open places Nexo among a limited group of ATP 500 title partners. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260113901822/en/ The Nexo Dallas Open “This partnership with Nexo represents a transformative milestone for the Dallas Open,” said Tournament Director Peter Lebedevs. “Securing a title sponsor of this caliber as we launch into year two as an ATP 500 event continues to elevate our tournament on the gl
Blue Matter Establishes New Capabilities in Biopharma Research & Development Led by Partner, Tara Austraat-Churik13.1.2026 16:01:00 EET | Press release
Blue Matter is pleased to announce that it has established a practice area dedicated to serving clients in biopharmaceutical Research & Development (R&D). The practice is led by Tara Austraat-Churik, a Partner who joined the firm in September 2025. Tara Austraat-Churik has been serving life science clients for more than 20 years. Her areas of expertise include strategy development and implementation, operating model and organizational design, and process optimization in R&D and Medical Affairs. Prior to joining Blue Matter, she served as Managing Director in R&D, Health, Science, and Wellness at EY. She has a robust background in consulting, which also includes roles at Booz Allen Hamilton, Navitas, WPP, and IBM. She holds a BA and MA from the University of Notre Dame and an MSc in Translational Medicine from the University of Edinburgh. The R&D practice, according to Austraat-Churik, exists to help biopharma companies simplify and accelerate the pathway to market. She adds, “R&D organ
Wasabi Raises $70M in New Equity to Power the Next Era of Data Infrastructure13.1.2026 16:00:00 EET | Press release
Wasabi Technologies, the Hot Cloud Storage company, today announced a $70 million equity funding round led by L2 Point Management with participation from Pure Storage and existing investors including Fidelity Management & Research Company. The new round values Wasabi at $1.8 billion and brings the company’s total funding to over $600 million. The capital will be used to accelerate Wasabi’s expansion into AI infrastructure, broaden its global footprint, and enhance its product portfolio to meet the growing data demands of enterprises and AI developers worldwide. “We’re ushering in the next generation of cloud storage, powering data-intensive workloads like generative AI and autonomous systems,” said David Friend, co-founder and CEO of Wasabi Technologies. “This funding underscores Wasabi’s strong market position and continued growth as enterprises and AI developers alike seek a better, more predictable alternative to the hyperscalers.” Wasabi disrupted the cloud storage model in 2017 wi
Armis Secures Italy’s Primary Public Healthcare Provider for the City of Naples as Cyber Threats Increase13.1.2026 15:00:00 EET | Press release
Armis, the cyber exposure management & security company, today announced that ASL Napoli 1 Centro, Italy’s primary public healthcare provider for the City of Naples, is securing its attack surface using Armis Centrix™, the Armis Cyber Exposure Management Platform. Prior to working with Armis, ASL Napoli 1 Centro did not have the tools or capabilities to monitor physical and virtual assets in real time, which posed a challenge for its security and compliance. Armis Centrix™ was deployed with a clear goal: to provide ASL Napoli 1 Centro with a comprehensive, real-time view of its connected biomedical inventory and the associated risks to the overall environment. “Time-to-value was practically immediate; Armis began delivering valuable information as soon as the system was activated and connected to our internal network,” said Fulvio Paone, Director of the ICT and Digital Transformation Unit at ASL Napoli 1 Centro. “Armis has given us visibility into a critical area. This isn’t just about
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