Serono and Nautilus to commercialise next generation growth hormone
Swiss biotech company Serono and French protein evolution company Nautilus Biotech have signed an agreement to work together to develop the next gen-eration of human growth hormone, with improved bio-logical, pharmacological and clinical profiles.
Swiss biotech company Serono and French protein evolution company Nautilus Biotech have signed an agreement to work together to develop the next gen-eration of human growth hormone, with improved bio-logical, pharmacological and clinical profiles.
This improved version of human growth hormone would allow less frequent injections of this therapeutic protein which is currently administered daily.
Under the terms of the agreement, Serono will receive an exclusive license to develop the next-generation human growth hormone and an exclusive option to license exclusive worldwide rights to develop, manufacture and commercialise improved variants of the protein generated by Nautilus's rational evolution technology, a process mimicking natural evolution. In return, Nautilus will receive an initial fee and potential milestone payments related to development progress, regulatory submissions and approvals.
If a new version of growth hormone is successfully developed and registered worldwide, and Serono ex-ercises its option right, the aggregate amount of these payments could reach €19m. Nautilus will also receive undisclosed royalties on sales of the improved protein.
'Serono has a long-term commitment to people with endocrine and metabolic disorders requiring growth hormone treatment,' said Tim Wells, Serono's senior executive vice president research. 'We believe that the rational evolution technology of Nautilus represents a promising approach to generate growth hormone variants with great potential to deliver improved patient care.'