Refining the aim in the hunt for tumor cells

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.—In a deal potentially worth some$200 million to BIND Therapeutics and marking its third major deal with BigPharma since the start of 2013, BIND announced April 22 that it has enteredinto a strategic collaboration with London-based AstraZeneca. Through thiscollaboration, the two companies plan to develop and commercialize an Accurin—atargeted and programmable cancer nanomedicine from BIND's MedicinalNanoengineering platform—based on a molecularly targeted kinase inhibitordeveloped and owned by AstraZeneca.

Under the terms of the agreement, the companieswill work together to complete Investigational New Drug-enabling studies ofthe lead Accurin identified from a previously-completed feasibility program.AstraZeneca will then have the exclusive right to lead development andcommercialization, while BIND will lead manufacturing during the developmentphase.

BIND could receive upfront and pre-approvalmilestone payments totaling $69 million, plus more than $130 million inregulatory and sales milestones and other payments—not to mention tieredsingle- to double-digit royalties on future sales.

Added to BIND's January deal with Amgen and Marchdeal with Pfizer, a company spokesperson notes that this is the third globalpartnership in four months with Big Pharma seeking access to BIND'snanomedicine technology to develop highly selective and targeted drugs, and"marks nearly $1 billion in total deal value to BIND and a 'tipping point' fornanomedicines."

"One year ago, BIND started several feasibilityprojects with major pharmaceutical companies," noted Scott Minick, presidentand CEO of BIND. "Our collaboration with AstraZeneca is the first one completedand had very successful results. Due to the advanced nature of this program, wenow plan to move an Accurin with optimized therapeutic properties quickly intoproduct development."

This collaboration and the others, BIND has noted,is based on emerging data suggesting that nanomedicines such as Accurins"selectively accumulate in diseased tissues and cells, leading to higher drugconcentrations at the site of the tumor and reduced exposure to healthytissues."

In addition to developing Accurins incollaboration with pharmaceutical and biotechnology partners, BIND isdeveloping a pipeline of novel Accurins that it believes hold "extraordinarypotential" to become best-in-class drugs and improve patient outcomes in theareas of oncology, inflammatory diseases and cardiovascular disorders. BIND'slead product candidate, BIND-014, is currently entering Phase II clinicaltesting in cancer patients and is designed to selectively target PSMA, asurface protein upregulated in a broad range of solid tumors.

"AstraZeneca believes that targeted therapieswhich specifically address the underlying mechanisms of disease are the futureof personalized cancer treatment," said Susan Galbraith, head of AstraZeneca'sOncology Innovative Medicines Unit. "Our oncology teams are actively exploringa range of platforms to deliver targeted therapies, with a strategic focus onunlocking the significant potential of nanoparticles as an approach to cancertreatment. We view BIND's targeted nanomedicines as a leading technology inthis field."