Tubulis Enters Strategic Partnership with Bristol Myers Squibb to Develop Next Generation ADCs in Oncology

Martinsried near Munich, 20 April 2023 –Tubulis, located in the Innovation and Start-up Center for Biotechnology in Martinsried, and Bristol Myers Squibb (NYSE: BMY) today announced that they have entered into a strategic license agreement to develop differentiated antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs).The Companies join forces bringing together Bristol Myers Squibb’s (BMS) deep oncology and clinical development expertise and Tubulis’ differentiated and unique approach to antibody-drug conjugate design with the goal of delivering the true therapeutic potential of ADCs.

Through the license agreement, Bristol Myers Squibb will gain exclusive rights to access Tubulis’ Tubutecan payloads in combination with Tubulis’ proprietary P5 conjugation platform for the development of a selected number of highly differentiated ADCs to treat solid tumors. P5 and Tubutecans facilitate the generation of ultra-stable ADCs that have the potential to actively reduce unwanted target-independent toxicities and are optimized for on-target delivery of potent topoisomerase-1 inhibitors.

The terms of the agreement include an upfront payment of $22.75 million to Tubulis in addition to the potential for over $1 billion in development, regulatory, and commercial milestone payments plus royalty payments on resulting marketed products. Following antibody target selection by Bristol Myers Squibb, Tubulis will provide the company with its linker-payload to generate a uniquely matched ADC for each antibody. Bristol Myers Squibb will assume sole responsibility for development, manufacturing, and commercialization of the resulting ADC candidates.

“This strategic agreement with Bristol Myers Squibb is an important validation of the potential of our approach in developing next-generation ADC-based therapeutics and our cutting-edge ADC conjugation technologies that accommodate advanced ADC design to tackle tumors with high-unmet medical need,” said Dominik Schumacher, PhD, CEO and co-founder of Tubulis. “We are committed to transforming oncology treatment paradigms and to deliver better outcomes for cancer patients. Joining forces with BMS, a leading global oncology company, is a significant step toward achieving that goal.”

“ADCs play a promising role in cancer therapy, and Tubulis’ differentiated technologies offer opportunities to overcome current challenges in the development of safe and effective ADC therapeutics,” said Emma Lees, PhD, Senior Vice President, Research and Early Development and Head, Mechanisms of Cancer Resistance Thematic Research Center at Bristol Myers Squibb. “With the P5 platform, we will be able to pair the right antibody with the right payload and thus provide potential for meaningful therapeutic benefits for patients with solid tumors. We are looking forward to a fruitful partnership with the Tubulis team.”

“This partnership not only secures significant funding for Tubulis, but also serves as an important validation of the biotech start-up’s innovative approach to ADC development. We warmly congratulate the management team, which only moved into the IZB in May 2022 with its team, for closing this landmark deal with a leading oncology company. At the same time, we are delighted to have BMS on campus and at the IZB in the future,” said Dr. Peter Hanns Zobel, Managing Director of the IZB.

About Tubulis
Tubulis generates uniquely matched protein-drug conjugates through the combination of novel proprietary technologies and disease-specific biologic insight. Our goal is to expand the therapeutic potential of antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) by increasing design flexibility while overcoming constraints of toxicity, efficacy and indication. Tubulis will build new conjugates to fill its growing pipeline and will continue to collaborate with industry partners to usher in a new ADC era and deliver better outcomes for patients. Visit www.tubulis.com or follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Contacts
For Tubulis
Dominik Schumacher, CEO & Co-Founder
Phone: + 49 (0) 175 8005594
Email: moc.silubut@tcatnoc

Media Requests for Tubulis#
Trophic Communications
Stephanie May or Marie Weickert
Phone: +49 (0) 171 1855682
Email: ue.cihport@silubut

About the Innovation and Start-up Center for Biotechnology (IZB) in Martinsried near Munich
The Fördergesellschaft IZB mbH, founded in 1995, operates the Innovation and Start-up Centers for Biotechnology in Planegg-Martinsried and Freising-Weihenstephan and has developed into a leading biotechnology center. More than 50 biotech companies with over 700 employees are currently based on 26,000 m2. Here, work is being done on developing drugs for the most serious diseases, such as cancer, Alzheimer’s and various autoimmune diseases. A key criterion for the success of the IZBs is the physical proximity to cutting-edge research on the Martinsried/Grosshadern campus and the Weihenstephan campus. The new infrastructure measures such as the Faculty Club G2B (Gateway to Biotech), the IZB Residence CAMPUS AT HOME, the two kindergartens Bio Kids and Bio Kids2 as well as the two restaurants SEVEN AND MORE and THE BOWL Food Lounge are also location factors that are highly valued by the founders of the company. Successful companies that emerged from the IZB include Corimmun (today Janssen-Cilag), Coriolis, Exosome Diagnostics (bought by Bio-Techne), ibidi, Immunic Therapeutics, Medigene, Micromet (today Amgen), MorphoSys, Octopharma or Rigontec (now MSD). More information at www.izb-online.de. Follow us on LinkedIn and Youtube.

Press contact and image material requests:
Susanne Simon, Head of Press and Public Relations
Innovation and Start-up Center for Biotechnology (IZB)
Am Klopferspitz 19
D-82152 Planegg-Martinsried
Phone: +49 (0)89/55 279 48-17
Email: ed.enilno-bzi@nomis
Website: www.izb-online.de

Pressekontakt sowie Bildmaterialanfragen:
Susanne Simon, Leitung Presse- und Öffentlichkeitsarbeit
Fördergesellschaft IZB mbH,
Innovations- und Gründerzentrum Biotechnologie
Am Klopferspitz 19
D-82152 Planegg-Martinsried
Tel.: +49 (0)89/55 279 48-17
E-Mail: ed.enilno-bzi@nomis
Website: www.izb-online.de