BioNTech SE, a German clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on patient-specific immunotherapies for the treatment of cancer and other serious diseases, has announced that it has signed an agreement with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (the Gates Foundation) to develop HIV and tuberculosis programs, further expanding the Company’s infectious disease portfolio.

This partnership includes an initial equity investment of $55 million. The funds will be used to develop preclinical vaccine and immunotherapy candidates to prevent HIV and tuberculosis infection as well as to lead to durable antiretroviral therapy-free remission of HIV disease. Total funding under the collaboration could reach $100 million through potential future grant funding from the Gates Foundation that would be used to underwrite the evaluation of these candidates in the clinic and support the initiation of new infectious disease projects.

Under the terms of the agreement, the collaboration will fund the identification of potential HIV and tuberculosis vaccine and immunotherapy candidates and their pre-clinical development. It will further enable BioNTech to build out its infectious disease infrastructure, including platform development and may allow the Company to initiate three new additional programs within its infectious disease portfolio. All programs will utilize BioNTech’s proprietary platforms and the Company will retain rights for commercialization of the vaccine and immunotherapy candidates in the developed world while providing affordable access to the candidates in developing countries.