Bristol-Myers Squibb
In October 2018, Compugen announced a clinical collaboration and equity investment agreement with Bristol-Myers Squibb. Under the terms of the agreement, Bristol Bristol-Myers Squibb will supply Opdivo®, its PD-1 inhibitor, for the combination arm of Compugen's Phase 1 study designed to evaluate the safety and tolerability of COM701 and Opdivo in four tumor types, including non-small cell lung, ovarian, breast, and endometrial cancer. In addition, Bristol-Myers may initiate and fund clinical trials that assess combinations of multiple checkpoint inhibitors, including PVRIG (the target of COM701), and TIGIT. In conjunction with the collaboration agreement, Bristo-Mayers Squibb made a $12 million equity investment in Compugen, holding approximately 4% of the company.[18]
Bayer Healthcare
In August 2013, Compugen entered into a collaboration and license agreement with Bayer AG to develop antibody drugs for cancer immunotherapy against two Compugen-discovered immune checkpoint regulators CGEN-15001T and CGEN-15022. The companies agreed to collaborate on preclinical programs, with Bayer retaining full control over clinical development and commercialization after preclinical work was completed.[19] Under the terms of the agreement, Compugen received $10 million up front payment and was set to receive $30 million, plus up to $500 million in milestone payments on both programs and was eligible for mid to high single-digit royalties on product sales. In 2017, after joint assessment of the CGEN-15022 program, the investment in the program was halted and the Bayer collaboration shifted solely CGEN-15001T.[20] To date, Compugen received approximately $25 million in up front and preclinical milestone payments and is eligible to up to $250 million in milestone payments and mid to high single-digit royalties on product sales.[21] In April 2018, Bayer disclosed the target of this program as ILDR2 and announced its intention to advance the program to the clinic.[22]
Medimmune (subsidiary of AstraZeneca)
In March 2018, Compugen entered into an exclusive license agreement with MedImmune, the global biologics research arm of AstraZeneca to develop bi-specific and multi-specific immuno-oncology antibody products derived from one of Compugen's pipeline products. MedImmune has the right to develop multiple product under this license and is solely responsible for R&D and commercial expenses. Under the terms of the agreement, Compugen will receive a $10 million upfront payment and up to $200 million in development, regulatory and commercial milestones for the first product as well as tiered royalties on future product sales. If any other products are developed, Compugen is eligible for additional milestone payments and royalties.[23]
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
In December 2014, Compugen announced the initiation of a multi-year research collaboration with Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, (JHU) on immune checkpoint candidates for the potential treatment of cancer. This collaborative research expanded Compugen's ongoing assessment of the biology and mechanism of action of its novel B7/CD8-like immune checkpoint proteins, and provided access to the world-class I-O research tools and expertise at JHU. The project is overseen by Prof. Drew Pardoll and Dr. Charles Drake, members of Compugen's scientific advisory board and well-known pioneers in the field of immuno-oncology.[24] In October 2017, the collaboration was expanded to include new additional targets discovered by Compugen which have the potential to serve as a basis for the development of cancer immunotherapy treatments.[25]
Mount Sinai Hospital
In November 2017, Compugen announced a multi-year research collaboration with Mount Sinai Hospital, under the direction of Dr. Miriam Merad. The collaboration focuses on the research and target validation of selected myeloid candidates discovered by Compugen for their potential to serve as a basis for cancer immunotherapy treatments, including the validation of their role in innate immunity and involvement in tumor biology.[26]
