Roche strikes US$1B bispecific antibody discovery deal with Dualitas Therapeutics
Roche will take responsibility for subsequent development activities, including preclinical research, and oversee the programmes as they progress towards potential commercialisation.
GERMANY—Roche has agreed to pay Dualitas Therapeutics US$36.5 million upfront to discover new treatments for immunological and inflammatory diseases by screening more than 300,000 novel bispecific antibody combinations.
The agreement gives Roche access to Dualitas’ high-throughput discovery platform, which searches for previously unexplored combinations of biological targets.
The partnership could eventually be worth up to US$1 billion through research and development and commercial milestone payments, alongside tiered royalties.
Dualitas to screen novel antibody combinations
Dualitas launched a year ago with US$65 million in Series A funding to develop treatments for allergic and autoimmune diseases.
Its research is built around DualScreen, a proprietary technology that allows the company to screen cell surface targets at scale.
Unlike conventional approaches that rely on established biological knowledge to design bispecific antibodies, Dualitas uses high-throughput screening to identify new combinations of targets that could produce therapeutic benefits.
Under the agreement, Dualitas will use its platform to screen and functionally assess antibody combinations, identify promising candidates and advance their discovery.
Roche will take responsibility for subsequent development activities, including preclinical research, and oversee the programmes as they progress towards potential commercialisation.
Dualitas has described the collaboration as one of the largest-scale bispecific antibody discovery initiatives.
Roche expands bispecific research beyond cancer
The partnership builds on Roche’s experience developing bispecific medicines across several therapeutic areas.
Its marketed portfolio includes Columvi and Lunsumio for cancer, Hemlibra for haemophilia A and Vabysmo for certain eye diseases.
Although oncology has been a major focus for bispecific antibody development, Roche is increasingly exploring applications beyond cancer.
The company has already initiated clinical trials investigating bispecific antibodies for conditions including ulcerative colitis and lupus.
The collaboration with Dualitas will give Roche access to additional antibody combinations that could support the development of treatments for immune-mediated and inflammatory conditions.
Bispecific antibodies are designed to bind two different targets, allowing researchers to investigate therapeutic approaches that conventional single-target antibodies may not provide.
Dualitas’ platform aims to identify new target combinations with potential applications in diseases where existing treatments remain limited.
Funding supports Dualitas’ clinical development plans
The upfront payment will strengthen Dualitas’ finances as it prepares to advance its internally developed programmes into clinical development next year.
The company’s pipeline is led by DTX-102, a bispecific antibody designed to engage CD28 for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.
According to Dualitas, preclinical studies indicate that DTX-102 is more potent than an already approved treatment and may offer more favourable dosing options.
The company has not disclosed further clinical development details for the programme.
Dualitas’ research and development operations are led by executives with previous experience at Roche and its biotechnology subsidiary, Genentech.
Co-founder Greg Lazar, Ph.D., formerly of Genentech, serves as chief scientific officer. Karim Dabbagh, Ph.D., who previously led inflammation pharmacology at Roche earlier in his career, joined Dualitas as chief executive officer in June.
The collaboration provides Roche with access to Dualitas’ discovery technology while allowing the biotechnology company to continue developing its own antibody programmes.
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