By Fineline Cube 
Roche’s Japan-based subsidiary Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (TYO: 4519) announced this week a joint research and development (R&D) and licensing agreement with Singapore-headquartered Gero PTE. Ltd. The collaboration aims to develop innovative therapies for age-related diseases.
Partnership Details
Under the agreement, Chugai will utilize its proprietary antibody engineering technologies to develop novel antibody drug candidates. These candidates will target newly identified drug targets discovered by Gero through its AI-powered target discovery platform, which analyzes human datasets. Gero grants Chugai exclusive global rights to develop antibody drugs against these targets, covering the entire process from discovery and R&D to manufacturing and commercialization.
Financial Terms
In addition to an upfront payment, Chugai will pay Gero up to approximately USD 250 million upon achieving specified development and sales milestones. If commercialized, Chugai will also pay Gero royalties based on product sales.-Fineline Info & Tech