Sanofi and Warp Drive Bio, a privately held biotechnology company
using the molecules and mechanisms of nature to discover and develop
transformative medicines, announced that they have extended and
reshaped their existing collaboration utilizing Warp Drive's proprietary
SMART(TM) (Small Molecule Assisted Receptor Targeting) and Genome
Mining platforms to discover novel oncology therapeutics and
antibiotics.
Sanofi, who has been
a major investor and strategic partner since Warp Drive's inception in
2012, and Warp Drive have entered into a research collaboration and
exclusive license focused on the development of drugs targeting
important human oncogenes including RAS, which has one of the highest
mutation rates in cancer - and new antibiotics targeting Gram-negative
bacteria. Warp Drive Bio retains the rights to deploy its platforms to
pursue discovery and development against all other targets, both alone
and in collaboration with other companies.
The collaboration is an outgrowth of Sanofi's Sunrise
initiative, a strategic partnership model that seeks to invest in early
stage opportunities that align with Sanofi's expert development and
commercialization abilities.
Under the terms of the Agreement, Warp
Drive will lead the research collaboration for a period of five years
and Sanofi will receive worldwide exclusive licenses to develop and
commercialize the candidates discovered during the research term.
Warp
Drive is eligible to receive from Sanofi cumulative payments in excess
of $750 million across four successful collaboration programs, including
an equity investment by Sanofi, research, clinical, and regulatory
milestones, and research and development services
