Nona Biosciences has signed a license deal with AstraZeneca for preclinical monoclonal antibodies that will be used to create targeted therapies in oncology.

Under the terms of the agreement, Nona Biosciences shall receive USD 19 million upon completion of the transaction. Nona is eligible to receive an additional USD 10 million in potential near-term milestone payments and up to USD 575 million upon achieving specified development, regulatory, and commercial milestones, as well as tiered royalty payments on net sales. In addition, Nona is eligible to receive payments for the option programs should AstraZeneca exercise these options.

"We are delighted to announce this agreement with AstraZeneca, global leaders in developing tumor-targeted therapies, to maximize the potential of our novel antibodies," said Jingsong Wang, MD, PhD, Chairman of Nona Biosciences.

"This agreement further validates our leading antibody discovery platform, and we look forward to seeing our antibodies developed into potential new medicines for cancer patients," Wang added.

Puja Sapra, Senior Vice President, Tumour Targeted Delivery, Oncology R&D, AstraZeneca, said, "The global license agreement with Nona Biosciences is an exciting opportunity to further develop these antibodies derived from Nona's innovative biologics discovery engine into novel tumor-targeted therapies using AstraZeneca's industry-leading capabilities."