Sweden-based BioArctic AB (Nasdaq Stockholm: BIOA B) and preclinical-stage Mesenkia Therapeutics have signed a research collaboration agreement to generate a novel antibody-based candidate for glioblastoma, marking BioArctic's first move into oncology with its BrainTransporter blood-brain barrier (BBB) delivery platform. Financial terms were not disclosed.
Under the agreement, BioArctic will integrate its BrainTransporter technology — which uses the transferrin receptor to actively transport antibodies across the BBB — with an anti-HVEM (herpes virus entry mediator) antibody generated by Mesenkia's KITAIbodies antibody engineering platform. HVEM is expressed on the surface of glioblastoma tumor cells, including tumor stem cells, a population associated with recurrence and treatment resistance. BioArctic is responsible for generating the combined drug candidate; the two companies will then jointly conduct preclinical studies to validate the concept before deciding on next steps. Mesenkia had previously identified active BBB delivery as a key component of its development strategy, with the company aiming to advance its lead glioblastoma program into first-in-human testing around 2030.
The agreement is BioArctic's fifth external collaboration involving BrainTransporter and its first to apply the platform outside neurodegenerative disease. Previous agreements with Eisai, Bristol Myers Squibb, Novartis, and Eli Lilly have focused on neurological indications, with the BMS, Novartis, and Lilly transactions carrying combined potential payments of several billion dollars. BioArctic retains rights to use BrainTransporter outside the scope of those agreements. Sweden-based Mesenkia was founded on research from Uppsala University and the University of Tokyo, with no previously disclosed external partnerships.
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