GSK has paid $50 million upfront to partner with LTZ Therapeutics on myeloid cell engagers, expanding its cancer pipeline to cover a modality that has attracted Eli Lilly, Novartis, Pfizer and Sanofi.
Like T-cell engagers, a more established therapeutic modality, myeloid cell engagers are bispecifics that simultaneously target immune and disease-driving cells. As the names suggest, the key difference is the type of immune cell that is targeted. LTZ specializes in drugs that target myeloid cells, a class of cells that shape the tumor microenvironment by suppressing or stimulating the immune system.
GSK has partnered with LTZ to develop up to four potential first-in-class myeloid cell engagers for use in hematologic cancers and solid tumors. In addition to the $50 million upfront fee, the Big Pharma has committed to preclinical, clinical, regulatory and commercial milestone payments of undisclosed value.
LTZ recently began a clinical trial of a myeloid cell engager that targets CD79B to drive phagocytosis, the process through which the immune system eats unwanted cells. But the GSK deal covers global rights to up to four preclinical programs against undisclosed targets.
The deal comes weeks after GSK agreed to pay Syndivia up to 268 million pounds sterling ($352 million) for global rights to a preclinical prostate cancer antibody-drug conjugate. The Syndivia and LTZ assets slot into the first part of an oncology pipeline that GSK has built out in recent years through deals such as its 2023 pacts with Hansoh, which recently delivered clinical data.
GSK’s identification of myeloid cell engagers as the next piece of the pipeline puzzle moves it onto turf targeted by Pfizer, Novartis and Sanofi. Pfizer paid $25 million to partner with Dren Bio on anticancer myeloid cell engagers in 2022. Two years later, Novartis paid Dren $150 million upfront to forge its own oncology pact. Sanofi joined Dren’s list of partners this year, paying $600 million upfront for DR-0201.
The Sanofi deal shows the versatility of the modality. While the anti-CD20 bispecific antibody DR-0201 entered the clinic as a treatment for B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma, Dren later started a phase 1 trial in autoimmune diseases such as lupus. CAR-T cell studies have suggested B-cell depletion can reset the immune system to stop lupus symptoms. DR-0201 could achieve the same outcome via phagocytosis.
Lilly followed Sanofi into the autoimmune myeloid cell engager space in July by partnering with LTZ. The Lilly deal was the first partnership disclosed by LTZ, which emerged in 2022 with a leadership team heavy on ex-Genentech researchers. LTZ revealed additional financing rounds in 2023 and 2024.