Gilead, AbCellera ink infectious disease antibody discovery pact

Gilead Sciences has entered into an infectious disease antibody discovery pact with AbCellera. The deal sees Gilead task AbCellera with using technologies that have landed a string of deals with big biopharma companies to find rare antibodies with certain characteristics. AbCellera has become a go-to partner for big biopharma antibody discovery efforts, completing more than 40 projects with companies including GlaxoSmithKline, Merck and Pfizer. The interest has led to larger, longer deals, notably the 10-target agreement AbCellera struck with Novartis earlier this year. Now, AbCellera has landed a deal with Gilead. In return for an undisclosed upfront fee plus research payments, milestones and royalties, AbCellera will use its technology to generate panels of antibody candidates from natural immune repertoires. The discovery effort will seek to uncover “ultra-rare” antibodies with specific properties defined by Gilead.