Boehringer Ingelheim and Numab Therapeutics have announced that they have entered into a research collaboration and worldwide licensing agreement.
The agreement will start with two projects aiming at novel therapies for difficult-to-treat lung and gastrointestinal (GI) cancers and patients with geographic atrophy (GA), a progressive, irreversible retinal disease that occurs in patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) for which there is no current treatment. 
The collaboration brings together Boehringer Ingelheim’s leading expertise in the research and development of life changing breakthrough therapies with Numab’s multi-specific antibody platform.
Lung and GI cancers and retinal diseases are key focus areas of Boehringer Ingelheim’s research and development program. In oncology the company has built a broad and diverse pipeline, combining cancer immunology and cancer cell directed approaches. 
The T-cell engager to be developed with Numab adds to Boehringer Ingelheim’s growing cancer immunology portfolio and supports the strategy to take cancer on by targeting ‘cold’ tumors with synergistic combination approaches.
In retinal diseases Boehringer Ingelheim says it is pursuing a holistic approach in leveraging existing expertise in oncology, inflammation, neurodegeneration, fibrosis and cardiometabolic diseases.
The new GA program with Numab further broadens the company’s comprehensive portfolio of next generation retinal therapy approaches in various stages of development up to Phase 2 in macular degeneration and diabetic retinal diseases.  
Under the terms of the alliance, the partners will work together to discover one novel multi-specific antibody drug candidate in each area.
Boehringer Ingelheim will receive from Numab an exclusive worldwide license to develop and commercialize the resulting candidates in exchange for upfront and milestone payments, as well as tiered royalties on net sales of all products resulting from the agreement. 

The T-cell engager to be developed with Numab adds to Boehringer Ingelheim’s growing cancer immunology portfolio.