바이오스펙테이터

by Sungmin Kim

Three years after signing a blood-brain barrier (BBB) platform deal with Sanofi, ABL Bio has struck another major agreement—this time with GSK. The announcement comes ahead of the planned release of Phase 1 clinical data for ABL Bio’s lead program utilizing its BBB platform, expected in mid-2025.

ABL Bio announced on the 7th that a worldwide licensing agreement enabling GSK to develop novel medicines for neurodegenerative diseases by utilizing ABL Bio’s BBB shuttle platform, Grabody-B.

The agreement aims to develop multiple programs for novel targets across therapeutic modalities including antibody, polynucleotide or oligonucleotides, such as siRNA and ASOs, to address significant unmet medical needs of patients suffering from neurodegenerative conditions.

The blood-brain barrier (BBB) serves as a protective barrier that restricts the entry of harmful substances and agents into the brain and is considered a significant obstacle in the development of treatments for neurological diseases. ABL Bio's Grabody-B was developed to overcome the limitations of existing drugs that have difficulty crossing the BBB by targeting the Insulin-like Growth Factor 1 Receptor (IGF1R), facilitating drug penetration across the BBB and enabling efficient delivery into the brain.

Under the terms of the agreement, ABL Bio will receive up to £77.1 million in upfront and near-term payments, including an immediate upfront payment of £38.5 million, research milestones and potential program expansion. In total, ABL Bio is eligible to receive up to £2.075 billion in research, development, regulatory and commercialization milestone payments across multiple potential programs.

ABL Bio will receive tiered royalties on net sales if products are successfully commercialized. As part of the agreement, ABL Bio will transfer Grabody-B-related technology and know-how to GSK, while GSK will assume responsibility for preclinical and clinical development, manufacturing, and commercialization.

Christopher Austin, SVP of Research Technologies, GSK, said “There is a critical need for new therapeutics to treat neurodegenerative brain diseases, which are rapidly increasing in prevalence due to the aging of the population. Many of the most promising new therapies are antibodies, which cannot efficiently reach the brain without a shuttle to get them across the BBB. This agreement reflects our commitment to innovative platform technologies to overcome the BBB and thus open entirely new opportunities for treating these devastating diseases, an important component of our emerging pipeline."

Sang Hoon Lee, CEO of ABL Bio said “This agreement underscores ABL Bio's leadership in BBB technology and its commitment to advancing transformative therapeutics in neurodegenerative diseases through strategic partnership with global pharmaceutical leaders like GSK. Additionally, this agreement will serve as a great opportunity to strengthen ABL Bio's position in the neurodegenerative disease treatment market through the potential commercialization of Grabody-B and to expand the modality areas where Grabody-B can be utilized. Given the increasing number of patients suffering from neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases, we hope this partnership will accelerate the development of innovative treatments and bring renewed hope to patients worldwide.”