Novartis has entered into a global license agreement with Monte Rosa Therapeutics to advance the development of T- and B-cell modulating VAV1-directed molecular glue degraders. The deal, announced on Monday, grants Novartis rights to Monte Rosa's innovative approach to targeting VAV1, a protein implicated in immune signaling and previously considered "undruggable."
Financial Terms and Development Plan
Under the terms of the agreement, Novartis will make an upfront payment of $150 million to Monte Rosa. Furthermore, Monte Rosa is eligible to receive up to $2.1 billion in additional payments contingent upon the achievement of specific development, regulatory, and sales milestones. Monte Rosa will complete the ongoing Phase 1 clinical study of MRT-6160, while Novartis will spearhead development efforts from Phase 2 onwards. The biotech company will also co-fund any Phase 3 testing and share in profits or losses upon commercialization of MRT-6160.
Mechanism of Action and Therapeutic Potential
Molecular glue degraders are small molecule drugs designed to induce the interaction between a target protein and an E3 ubiquitin ligase, leading to the ubiquitination and subsequent degradation of the target protein. Monte Rosa believes that degrading VAV1 with MRT-6160 could weaken certain immune cell functions, potentially slowing the progression of immune-mediated diseases. MRT-6160 is currently in a Phase 1 study involving healthy volunteers.
Strategic Rationale
According to Monte Rosa CEO Markus Warmuth, MRT-6160 holds promise for treating "multiple" systemic and neurological autoimmune diseases. Fiona Marshall, head of biomedical research at Novartis, highlighted the company's long-standing interest in molecular glue degraders, noting their potential to address challenging biological targets. Novartis is particularly enthusiastic about the application of this technology in immunology and the early progress observed with MRT-6160.
Monte Rosa intends to allocate the $150 million upfront payment from Novartis to extend its operational runway and further advance its research programs. In addition to VAV1, Monte Rosa is exploring the use of its molecular glue technology to target other proteins, including NEK7, CDK2, and CCNE1.
