The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has accepted Biogen's investigational new drug application for BIIB142, an IRAK4 protein degrader developed in collaboration with C4 Therapeutics, marking a significant milestone in targeted protein degradation therapy for autoimmune diseases. The acceptance clears the path for BIIB142 to enter clinical development as the first IRAK4 degrader to reach this stage.
Strategic Partnership Delivers Clinical Candidate
The achievement stems from a strategic collaboration established in 2018 between C4 Therapeutics and Biogen, combining C4T's expertise in targeted protein degradation with Biogen's scientific leadership and drug development capabilities. Under the partnership terms, C4T provided research services in targeted protein degradation while Biogen contributed scientific and drug development resources.
"We are thrilled to see Biogen quickly advance the IRAK4 degrader that resulted from our collaboration toward the clinic in the hopes this molecule may bring a new treatment option to patients with autoimmune disease," said Paige Mahaney, Ph.D., chief scientific officer of C4 Therapeutics.
Jane Grogan, Ph.D., head of research at Biogen, emphasized the collaboration's productivity: "Our collaboration with C4 Therapeutics has been both powerful and deeply productive, pairing C4T's expertise in targeted protein degradation with Biogen's scientific leadership and drug development capabilities. I'm proud that we have advanced this program based on a cutting-edge modality for a disease with high unmet need."
Targeted Protein Degradation Technology
BIIB142 represents an innovative approach to treating autoimmune diseases through targeted protein degradation. The degrader is designed to harness the body's natural protein recycling system to rapidly degrade disease-causing proteins, potentially offering advantages over traditional therapeutic approaches by overcoming drug resistance and targeting previously undruggable proteins.
C4 Therapeutics has delivered two development candidates to Biogen under their collaboration, with BIIB142 being the first to progress toward clinical development. The company leverages its TORPEDO® platform to efficiently design and optimize small-molecule medicines to address difficult-to-treat diseases.
Financial and Development Milestones
Biogen assumes full responsibility for all future clinical development and commercialization activities for BIIB142. C4 Therapeutics is entitled to receive a $2 million milestone payment upon Biogen dosing patients in the BIIB142 clinical trial, representing the first financial milestone in the program's clinical progression.
The collaboration has enabled C4T to build and deepen capabilities across its platform while working together to develop degraders for a broad range of target classes and therapeutic areas. Mahaney noted that the partnership aims to "reach a sizeable number of patients with unmet needs."
Addressing Autoimmune Disease Treatment Gaps
The advancement of BIIB142 addresses significant unmet medical needs in autoimmune disease treatment. Grogan highlighted that the program represents "a cutting-edge modality for a disease with high unmet need," positioning the IRAK4 degrader as a potentially transformative therapeutic approach.
The FDA acceptance of the IND application enables Biogen to initiate clinical studies to evaluate BIIB142's safety and efficacy in patients with autoimmune diseases. The progression marks a critical step in validating targeted protein degradation as a viable therapeutic strategy for this patient population.
