Zymeworks has announced that it has entered into a collaboration and license agreement with GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) for the research, development, and commercialization of novel Fc-engineered monoclonal and bi-specific antibody therapeutics which have been optimized for specific therapeutic effects.

Under the terms of the agreement, Zymeworks and GSK will collaborate to further develop Zymeworks' Effector Function Enhancement and Control Technology (EFECT) platform through the design, engineering, and testing of novel engineered Fc domains tailored to induce specific antibody-mediated immune responses.

At the conclusion of the research collaboration, both GSK and Zymeworks will have the right to develop and commercialize monoclonal and bi-specific antibody candidates that incorporate Zymeworks' optimized immune-modulating Fc domains.

Under the terms of the agreement, GSK will have the right to develop a minimum of 4 products across multiple disease areas, and Zymeworks will be eligible to receive pre-clinical, clinical, and commercial milestones of upto $110 million for each product, as well as tiered sales royalties. Further financial details are not disclosed.

"We are thrilled to collaborate with GSK on the development of next-generation antibody therapeutics that incorporate the EFECT platform to help fight life-threatening diseases," said Dr Ali Tehrani, president and CEO of Zymeworks.

He added, "This is a unique opportunity for Zymeworks to apply our antibody engineering expertise in collaboration with GSK's drug discovery capabilities to develop and commercialize novel antibody therapeutics. The collaboration will also allow Zymeworks to combine the novel immune-modulating Fc domains with our Azymetric platform to generate bi-specific antibodies with customized immune modulatory functions."