Cambridge, UK, and Ghent, Belgium, June 27, 2023 – Mestag Therapeutics (‘Mestag’), an immunotherapy company focusing on fibroblast-immune interactions, and VIB, the leading life science research institute in Flanders, today announced entering into an agreement under which Mestag obtains the exclusive worldwide rights to research, develop and commercialize a panel of single domain antibodies, also known as Nanobodies®, to an undisclosed target that plays a central role in anti-cancer immunity.
Under the terms of the agreement, Mestag will be responsible for the research, development and commercialization of the antibodies, which are the outcome of many years of leading-edge research within VIB. In return, VIB will receive an upfront payment, future success-based milestones and royalty payments.
Susan Hill, PhD, Chief Executive Officer of Mestag Therapeutics, said, “We are delighted to partner with VIB, one of the premier research institutes in Europe and a leader in nanobody technology and cancer biology. This agreement further strengthens Mestag’s first-in-class pipeline and targets an exciting new area of fibroblast-immune cancer biology.”
“We are thrilled to work with Mestag. Mestag brings together a unique expertise set in fibroblast-immune biology and a deep understanding of antibody engineering and development. The company is perfectly positioned to take this promising program forward,” said Jérôme Van Biervliet, PhD, Managing Director of VIB.
About Mestag Therapeutics
Mestag is an immunotherapy company harnessing new insights into fibroblast-immune interactions to develop impactful treatments for patients. We are progressing a pipeline of sophisticated first-in-class antibodies designed to improve the lives of patients with cancer and inflammatory disease. Together with our collaboration partner Janssen Biotech, Inc. we are also identifying novel targets for future therapies.
Our founding investigators comprise global experts in inflammatory disease, cancer, computational biology and fibroblast biology from the University of Oxford, Brigham & Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. We are supported by leading life science investors SV Health Investors, Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JJDC, Inc., Forbion, GV (formerly Google Ventures) and Northpond Ventures.
Mestag is headquartered in Cambridge, UK, and in 2021 was recognized on the Fierce 15 list of innovative biotechnology companies.
For further information please visit our website www.mestagtherapeutics.com
About VIB
VIB is an independent, entrepreneurial research institute in life sciences. The mission of VIB is to make a positive impact on society through scientific progress and real-world applications. At VIB, some 1,800 top scientists from Belgium and abroad conduct groundbreaking basic research into the molecular underpinning of life. As such, they are pushing the boundaries of what we know about molecular mechanisms and how they rule living organisms such as human beings, animals, plants, and microorganisms. VIB’s technology transfer activities translate these insights into concrete applications that benefit society, such as new treatments and diagnostics tools for human health and new methods to adapt crops to rapidly changing climate conditions. Collaboration is vital to achieving our mission. VIB operates in close partnership with the five universities in Flanders – Ghent University, KU Leuven, University of Antwerp, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, and Hasselt University. Young startups often develop applications from VIB or other companies working with VIB. As such, VIB contributes to a vibrant life sciences ecosystem surrounding us.
For more information please visit www.vib.be
