CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Dec. 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Nona Biosciences, a global biotechnology company providing a total solution from "Idea to IND" (I to I^TM), today announced a research collaboration and license agreement to discover next-generation T-cell engagers ("TCEs") with Candid Therapeutics, Inc. ("Candid"), a clinical-stage biotechnology company based in San Diego and focused on becoming the leader in advancing TCEs for autoimmune diseases.

Under the terms of the agreement, Nona Biosciences is eligible to receive up to $320 million, including an upfront payment and potential milestone payments. Candid will be responsible for all further product development.

"We are pleased to collaborate with Candid Therapeutics, a pioneer in advancing T-cell engagers for autoimmune diseases," said Jingsong Wang, MD, PhD, Chairman of Nona Biosciences. "T-cell engagers generated from our proprietary HBICE^® technology platform offer several advantages, including precision targeting, flexible formats, enhanced efficacy and optimized safety profiles. Leveraging our industry-leading technology platforms, alongside our extensive expertise in antibody discovery and development, we look forward to supporting Candid in advancing innovative treatments and bringing new hope to patients."

"Nona Biosciences has an impressive discovery toolkit and we look forward to developing novel T-cell engagers through this collaboration," said Ken Song, MD, PhD, Chairman, President and CEO of Candid Therapeutics.

About Nona Biosciences

Nona Biosciences is a global biotechnology company committed to cutting edge technology innovation and providing a total solution from "Idea to IND" (I to I^TM), ranging from target validation and antibody discovery through preclinical research. The integrated antibody and antibody-related discovery services with multiple modalities range from antigen preparation, animal immunization, single B cell screening, to antibody lead generation and engineering, developability assessment and pharmacological evaluation, leveraging advantages of Harbour Mice^® platforms and the experienced therapeutic antibody discovery team.

Harbour Mice^® generates fully human monoclonal antibodies in classical two light and two heavy chain (H2L2) format, and heavy chain only (HCAb) format. Integrating Harbour Mice^® and a single B cell cloning platform, Nona Biosciences is focused on driving global inventions of transformative next-generation drugs. For more information, please visit: www.nonabio.com.

About Candid Therapeutics, Inc.

Candid Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on becoming the leader in advancing T-cell engagers for B-cell depletion to treat autoimmune diseases. Candid is advancing two lead B-cell depleting TCE antibody drug candidates, with a goal to broadly explore the potential of TCEs across multiple autoimmune diseases by targeting different B-cell protein targets, as well as evaluating different depths of B-cell depletion. Established in 2024 and headquartered in San Diego, CA, Candid is led by a team of entrepreneurial executives who have a track record of advancing programs into and through development and is supported by a distinguished syndicate of premier life science investors.