Boehringer Ingelheim and 3T Biosciences Join Forces to Develop Next-Generation Cancer Immunotherapies

INGELHEIM, Germany and SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., USA, 09 January 2023 – Boehringer Ingelheim and 3T Biosciences, today announced they have entered into a strategic collaboration and licensing agreement to discover and develop next-generation cancer therapies to address high unmet patient needs. The partnership will bring together 3T Biosciences’ best-in-class 3T-TRACE (T-Cell Receptor Antigen and Cross-Reactivity Engine) discovery platform with Boehringer Ingelheim’s two-pronged research strategy combining cancer cell-directed and immune cell-targeting compounds, further strengthening the company’s pipeline. 

Cancer immunotherapies have brought dramatic breakthroughs, but only for a minority of cancer patients. 3T‘s platform aims to address this challenge by identifying novel shared T-cell receptor (TCR) targets of productive immune responses and comprehensively screening TCRs and TCR mimetics for specificity and off-target cross-reactivities. The platform identifies the most prevalent and immunogenic targets in solid tumors by uniquely combining high-diversity target libraries with active machine learning. This may lead to tumor-specific, safer therapies that can be delivered at higher doses.  

“At Boehringer Ingelheim, we are committed to transforming patients’ lives. Through our new partnership with 3T Biosciences, we aim at accelerating and expanding our pipeline of first-in-class T-cell based therapies for patients affected by cancer,” said Lamine Mbow, Ph.D., Global Head of Cancer Immunology + Immune Modulation, Boehringer Ingelheim.  

“On behalf of the entire team at 3T Biosciences, we are extremely pleased to partner with Boehringer Ingelheim, a company advancing transformative cancer treatments,” said Stefan J. Scherer, M.D., Ph.D., president and CEO of 3T Biosciences. “3T’s 3T-TRACE discovery platform has the potential to transform the treatment of cancers and beyond. By using data from patients for patients we aim to discover the best immunogenic targets for multiple tumor indications and across patient populations.”  

Under the agreement, Boehringer Ingelheim will provide patient-derived TCR data to fuel 3T’s target discovery efforts to identify antigens using its 3T TRACE discovery platform. 3T will receive an upfront payment and research and development support, and is eligible for discovery, preclinical, clinical, regulatory, and commercial milestones totaling $268 million in addition to royalties on future Boehringer Ingelheim product sales. Boehringer Ingelheim is eligible to receive royalties on future product sales by 3T Biosciences arising from the agreement. 

Boehringer Ingelheim 

Boehringer Ingelheim is working on breakthrough therapies that transform lives, today and for generations to come.  As a leading research-driven biopharmaceutical company, the company creates value through innovation in areas of high unmet medical need.  Founded in 1885 and family-owned ever since, Boehringer Ingelheim takes a long-term perspective. More than 52,000 employees serve over 130 markets in three business areas, Human Pharma, Animal Health, and Biopharmaceutical Contract Manufacturing.  Learn more at www.boehringer-ingelheim.com. 

For more information on Boehringer Ingelheim’s commitment to oncology, please see Boehringer Ingelheim & Taking Cancer On | Boehringer Ingelheim (boehringer-ingelheim.com) 

Boehringer Ingelheim in Oncology 

We have a clear aspiration – to transform the lives of people with cancer by delivering meaningful advances, with the ultimate goal of curing a range of cancers. Our generational commitment to driving scientific innovation is reflected by our robust pipeline of cancer cell-directed and immuno-oncology investigational therapies, as well as the smart combination of these approaches. We are taking a diligent and broad approach, creating a collaborative research network to tap into a diversity of minds, which is vital in addressing some of the most challenging, but potentially most impactful, areas of cancer research. 

Simply put, for Boehringer Ingelheim, cancer care is personal, today and for generations. Read more here. 

3T Biosciences

3T Biosciences is an immunotherapy company focused on discovering and developing next-generation therapies with curative potential based on its immune-response-guided target discovery approach. 3T Biosciences’ 3T-TRACE platform technology is designed to overcome the challenges of advancing T-cell receptor (TCR)-based therapeutics. Based in South San Francisco, 3T Biosciences is led by an experienced management team and supported by top investors including Westlake Village BioPartners, Lightspeed Venture Partners, and the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy. For more information, please visit https://3tbiosciences.com. 

Media contacts:

Boehringer Ingelheim 
Dr. Reinhard Malin 
Boehringer Ingelheim Corporate Center GmbH 
Innovation Unit/Bio Comms, Corp. Affairs 
Media + PR 
press@boehringer-ingelheim.com 
 
Linda Ruckel  
Boehringer Ingelheim Corporate Center GmbH  
Innovation Unit/Bio Comms, Corp. Affairs 
Media + PR 
P: 203-791-6672  
press@boehringer-ingelheim.com 

3T Biosciences 
Kathy Vincent 
Greig Communications Inc. 
kathy@greigcommunications.com