Adaptive Biotechnologies Corporation (NASDAQ:ADPT) has entered into two separate agreements with Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) that will see the companies collaborate on T-cell receptor (TCR) research to support drug discovery and development.
The first deal focuses on rheumatoid arthritis, with Adaptive deploying its immune medicine platform to identify T-cell receptors linked to disease activity. Using Pfizer’s clinical samples, Adaptive will work to pinpoint TCRs that are disproportionately represented in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Pfizer will then leverage these findings to advance research and development efforts for potential new therapies.
Under the second agreement, Pfizer will gain access to Adaptive’s extensive TCR–antigen binding datasets. The pharmaceutical group plans to use this information to build and train artificial intelligence and machine learning models aimed at accelerating research and drug discovery across a range of disease areas.
Financially, Adaptive will receive an upfront payment related to the rheumatoid arthritis collaboration, along with the potential to earn milestone payments that could reach up to approximately $890 million. The company will also collect an upfront payment and may receive recurring annual licensing fees under the multi-year data access agreement, although detailed financial terms were not disclosed.
As part of the rheumatoid arthritis program, Adaptive will be responsible for target discovery, while Pfizer will take charge of downstream development and commercialization of any therapies that emerge. Both agreements are structured on a non-exclusive basis.
Chad Robins, Chief Executive Officer of Adaptive Biotechnologies, said the company has built a large repository of immune receptor data and deepened its understanding of T-cell biology through its AI-enabled platform.
Adaptive Biotechnologies specializes in applying insights from the adaptive immune system to develop clinical tools and therapies for diseases such as cancer and autoimmune conditions.