MAINZ, Germany and GÖTTINGEN, Germany, May 22, 2024 – BioNTech SE (Nasdaq: BNTX, “BioNTech”) and NanoTag Biotechnologies GmbH (“NanoTag”), a biotechnology company developing single-domain antibodies, today announced that BioNTech has exercised an exclusive option right under a previously signed Research Collaboration and License Agreement. BioNTech gains rights to exclusively evaluate NanoTag’s target labeling system “ALFA” across indications in oncology and infectious diseases in both a preclinical and clinical setting.
The ALFA tagging system can be used to biologically label a target of interest in the laboratory setting (i.e., a protein on the cell membrane) with a protein tag. Protein tags are either short peptides or entire proteins fused to a protein of interest, providing an approach to isolate or track proteins in the cell. The tag in the ALFA system is bound specifically by a designed set of antibodies. The high specificity of the tag-antibody binding has the potential for different use cases that BioNTech intends to evaluate, including drug delivery.
Under the terms of the initial agreement signed in 2022, NanoTag will now receive an option exercise fee of EUR 1 million from BioNTech for the use of the ALFA system in its candidate development, and potential additional development, regulatory and commercial milestone payments, and royalty payments. BioNTech may advance any number of products under the licensing agreement.
About BioNTech
Biopharmaceutical New Technologies (BioNTech) is a global next generation immunotherapy company pioneering novel therapies for cancer and other serious diseases. BioNTech exploits a wide array of computational discovery and therapeutic drug platforms for the rapid development of novel biopharmaceuticals. Its broad portfolio of oncology product candidates includes individualized and off-the-shelf mRNA-based therapies, innovative chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells, several protein-based therapeutics, including bispecific immune checkpoint modulators, targeted cancer antibodies and antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) therapeutics, as well as small molecules. Based on its deep expertise in mRNA vaccine development and in-house manufacturing capabilities, BioNTech and its collaborators are developing multiple mRNA vaccine candidates for a range of infectious diseases alongside its diverse oncology pipeline. BioNTech has established a broad set of relationships with multiple global and specialized pharmaceutical collaborators, including Biotheus, DualityBio, Fosun Pharma, Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, Genevant, Genmab, OncoC4, Pfizer and Regeneron.
For more information, please visit www.BioNTech.com.
About NanoTag Biotechnologies
NanoTag Biotechnologies GmbH is primarily focused on the development, production, and application of single-domain antibodies (sdAbs). NanoTag leverages its expertise in biotechnology to produce these specialized antibodies on a large scale using recombinant cell cultures, thereby minimizing animal use. The company's core activities include the discovery and validation of sdAbs, aiming to support research, diagnostics, and therapeutic applications.
Additionally, NanoTag is involved in the creation of novel sdAb-based reagents and tools. They focus on improving the production, properties, and applications of these antibodies in various biomedical fields, aiming to enhance the speed and reproducibility of sdAb discovery and development. The company is based in Göttingen, Germany, and was founded in 2015.
For more information, please visit www.nano-tag.com.
BioNTech Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains “forward-looking statements” of BioNTech within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements concerning BioNTech’s exercise of its exclusive option to evaluate NanoTag’s ALFA system; the potential use cases of the ALFA system across oncology and infectious disease indications in the preclinical and clinical settings; and the collaboration between BioNTech and NanoTag, including NanoTag’s ability to receive future payments under the agreement. Any forward-looking statements in this press release are based on BioNTech’s current expectations and beliefs of future events. The forward-looking statements in this press release are neither promises nor guarantees, and you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements because they involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors, many of which are beyond BioNTech’s control, and which could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements.
You should review the risks and uncertainties described under the heading “Risk Factors” in BioNTech’s Report on Form 6-K for the period ended March 31, 2024, and in subsequent filings made by BioNTech with the SEC, which are available on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date hereof. Except as required by law, BioNTech disclaims any intention or responsibility for updating or revising any forward-looking statements contained in this press release in the event of new information, future developments or otherwise.
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