Complix Signs Global Drug Discovery and Development Agreement with I-Mab to Develop Cell Penetrating Alphabodies against Two Intracellular Immuno-oncology Targets

- Complix retains joint development and commercialization rights outside Greater China

- Complix to receive upfront fees and research funding as well as potential milestone and royalty payments

HASSELT, Belgium, March 10, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Complix, a biopharmaceutical company developing a pipeline of transformative Alphabody therapeutics announces that it has signed a significant drug discovery deal with I-Mab (Nasdaq: IMAB), an innovation-driven clinical stage biopharmaceutical company committed to the discovery, development and commercialization of novel and highly differentiated biologics in the immuno-oncology therapeutic area. 

Under the terms of the agreement, Complix will use its proprietary Alphabody platform to deliver Cell Penetrating Alphabodies (CPABs) against two immuno-oncology intracellular targets. The resulting CPABs will undergo clinical development that will be jointly managed by both companies.

I-Mab will have an exclusive license to commercialize the CPABs in Greater China, with the rest of the world commercialization rights being equally owned by both companies. In return, Complix is entitled to receive an upfront payment and potential development milestones fees, as well as tiered royalties.

CPABs are a revolutionary class of small proteins engineered to bind to a variety of antigens. Data available show that CPABs have the potential to address a wide range of disease targets, particularly intracellular targets that are difficult for current therapies to reach.

In addition to crossing cellular membranes, Alphabodies have the potential to cross the blood brain barrier to address CNS diseases and to be delivered orally given their ability to cross the gut wall.

Mark Vaeck, CEO of Complix, said: 

"We are pleased to have signed this important new oncology/immuno-oncology collaboration with I-Mab, based on the unique capabilities of our CPABs to address intractable intracellular targets. We are looking forward to developing novel CPAB drug candidates that have a beneficial therapeutic impact on the two immuno-oncology targets put forward by I-Mab. We are also happy to be working with a partner with the ability and commitment to commercializing these products in Greater China and to have retained a commercial interest in these CPABs in the rest of the world, providing us with an additional opportunity to generate shareholder value."

Taylor Guo, Chief Scientific Officer of I-Mab said:

"The partnership with Complix is part of our strategy to create a new cycle of pipeline programs, as our current set of assets advances rapidly towards late-stage clinical development and BLA (Biologics License Application)"). As a company pushing the boundaries on innovation, I-Mab is anchoring its efforts in new medicines that have transformative potential. We have been impressed with the data that Complix has generated to support the unique ability of its CPAB platform to address intracellular targets, and we believe that these CPABs are pioneering the next wave of cancer therapeutics that can potentially address the unmet needs in patient and clinical care."

About Complix

Complix is a biopharmaceutical company using its unique Alphabody^TM platform to develop a pipeline of transformative, "membrane crossing" therapeutics against a number of cutting-edge and challenging disease targets that play an important role in oncology, autoimmunity and viral diseases.

In addition to crossing cellular membranes, Alphabodies have the potential to cross the blood brain barrier to address CNS diseases and to be delivered orally given their ability to cross the gut wall.

Complix is developing Cell Penetrating Alphabodies (CPABs) that can address disease targets present in the cytosol or in the nucleus of human cells. CPABs act with great specificity and high affinity on targets that are considered "intractable" by current drug formats, such as antibodies or small chemicals. CPABs are also equipped with half-life extension motifs, so that they stay in circulation for sufficient time to ensure optimal biodistribution in peripheral tissues to reach the cells where their target is located. As a pioneer in intracellular targeting, Complix aims to develop a collection of first-in-class therapeutics with the potential to cure severe diseases with high unmet medical need.

Alphabodies also provide an ideal scaffold to design potent inhibitors of viral entry. Complix believes that its research could yield broadly cross-reactive anti-viral compounds with both prophylactic and therapeutic efficacy against SARS-CoV-2 as well as future emerging coronavirus variants or mutants.

Complix has established a strong intellectual property position protecting the Alphabody platform and its emerging product portfolio through the filing of multiple patent applications. The company is led by an experienced management team with a track record of success in the biotech industry and is backed by a syndicate of experienced life sciences investors, through which it has raised close to US$ 40 million to date.

Contacts:

Complix NV
Dr. Mark Vaeck, Chief Executive Officer
+32 9 261 69 40
 www.complix.com