Combining two preclinical platform technologies that each address a distinct failure mode of T-cell engager therapy in solid tumors, Evotec SE (Nasdaq: EVO) and Germany-based Plectonic Biotech have entered a research collaboration to generate preclinical proof-of-concept data combining their respective BiTco and LOGIBODY platforms. Financial terms were not disclosed.
Evotec's BiTco platform is built around a proprietary non-blocking CD2 antibody described by the company as delivering an additional costimulatory signal to T cells — enhancing their activation and persistence within the tumor microenvironment. Plectonic's LOGIBODY technology engineers DNA-protein hybrid constructs that function as molecular logic gates, requiring simultaneous binding to a predefined combination of tumor-associated antigens before T-cell engagement is triggered. The company describes this AND-gate architecture as designed to restrict T-cell activation to tumor cells co-expressing the required antigen signature, reducing activation in healthy tissue. Plectonic's foundational science originated from the Technical University of Munich and is funded by SPRIND, Germany's Federal Agency for Disruptive Innovation.
The collaboration sees each party contributing its own platform rather than licensing technology to the other. No specific tumor-associated antigen targets or indication focus have been disclosed; the agreement covers solid tumors broadly, with program definition contingent on proof-of-concept outcomes.