Roche and Repertoire ink US$765M deal to target autoimmune diseases

SWITZERLAND – Swiss pharma giant Roche is doubling down on autoimmune disease research through a major partnership with Repertoire Immune Medicines.

The collaboration, announced Wednesday, is worth up to US$ 765 million and centers on developing next-generation T cell-targeted therapies.

Repertoire will receive US$ 35 million upfront from Roche’s Genentech unit, with the potential for up to US$ 730 million in milestone payments, along with tiered royalties if products reach the market.

At the heart of the deal is Repertoire’s innovative DECODE platform, a cutting-edge tool designed to map the immune synapse — the complex interaction between T cells and antigen-presenting cells.

By doing so, it can pinpoint disease-specific targets (called epitopes) with incredible precision, opening the door to highly personalized therapies.

“DECODE allows us to explore a vast range of immune targets that we couldn’t access on our own,” said Repertoire CEO Torben Straight Nissen.

“This partnership brings us one step closer to transforming treatment options for patients with autoimmune diseases.”

Under the agreement, Repertoire will leverage DECODE to uncover new treatment targets, while Genentech will take the lead on advancing these therapies through preclinical trials, clinical development, and global commercialization.

This partnership builds upon Repertoire’s previous collaborations, including a deal with Bristol Myers Squibb worth up to US$ 1.8 billion for developing tolerizing vaccines for autoimmune diseases.

However, the road hasn’t been without bumps. After raising US$ 189 million in a Series B round in 2021, Repertoire restructured in 2022, cutting 65 jobs and shelving two cancer programs to refocus on autoimmune therapies.