BioCentury
ARTICLE | Strategy

Check and mate

Celgene thinks Jounce antibodies can treat cancers that checkpoint programs can't

August 1, 2016 7:00 AM UTC

Celgene Corp. is betting that antibodies from Jounce Therapeutics Inc. can treat cancers that are unresponsive to checkpoint inhibitors. An option deal announced July 19 is intended to propel the big biotech into the next wave of immuno-oncology with antibodies against novel targets on Treg cells, tumor-associated macrophages and B cells.

Celgene will pay $225 million up front and make a $36 million equity investment to gain options to lead compound JTX-2011, up to four preclinical programs against undisclosed targets and a preclinical checkpoint inhibitor program...