Oxford BioTherapeutics Announces Third Oncology Drug Candidate from Boehringer Ingelheim Collaboration Selected to Advance into IND-Enabling Studies
Drug candidate is one of several oncology assets approaching or in clinical development, discovered through Oxford BioTherapeutics’ proprietary OGAP®-Verify discovery platform
OBT receives milestone payment associated with advance of drug candidate
Oxford, UK and San Jose, California, 3 July 2025 – Oxford BioTherapeutics (OBT), a clinical stage oncology company with a pipeline of immuno-oncology (IO) and Antibody Drug Conjugate (ADC)-based therapies, today announced that Boehringer Ingelheim has selected a third drug candidate, which will now advance into IND-enabling studies under their ongoing collaboration. The target, OB33, was identified using OBT’s proprietary OGAP®-Verify discovery platform. As a result of this milestone, OBT will receive a payment from Boehringer.
Immuno-oncological therapies have transformed the cancer treatment landscape. They are however only effective in a subset of patients, requiring the identification of novel immunotherapy targets. The collaboration with Oxford BioTherapeutics complements Boehringer Ingelheim’s development of next-generation potentially life-changing cancer immunotherapies with the identification of unique and specific cancer targets.
Dr. Christian Rohlff, Chief Executive Officer, said: “We are pleased to see our partnership with Boehringer Ingelheim reach an important preclinical milestone. It reflects the strength of our collaboration and the scientific excellence of our OGAP discovery platform. This achievement reinforces our strategy of partnering with world-class organizations to translate breakthrough science into potential new cancer therapies. We look forward to the next phase of this highly successful partnership and to continuing to work together to develop innovative first-in-class treatments for patients with difficult to treat cancers.”
OBT’s recently launched enhanced OGAP®-Verify discovery platform allows for enhanced sensitivity and target selection, addressing key challenges in the design of therapeutic antibodies and diagnostic tools. This has resulted in an increased overall success rate of these novel compounds transitioning into clinical development.
Under the multi-year collaboration, OBT has identified targets using the OGAP®-Verify platform, while Boehringer is responsible for the development and commercialization of resulting product candidates.
The OBT–Boehringer partnership began in 2013 and has expanded through subsequent agreements in 2020 and 2022 to include additional programs. The collaboration has yielded multiple development-stage assets, with two candidates currently in clinical trials, one compound now in IND enabling studies, and a fourth target recently optioned by Boehringer Ingelheim.
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About Oxford BioTherapeutics
Oxford BioTherapeutics is a clinical stage oncology company discovering and developing first in class antibody-based therapies designed to fulfil major unmet patient needs in cancer therapy. These include Bispecific Antibodies and Antibody Drug Conjugate (ADC) therapeutics.
OBT is dedicated to discovering and validating the next generation of ADC targets for safe and effective medicines. The OGAP®-Verify platform’s enhanced sensitivity, specificity, and reliability will significantly accelerate biopharma’s capabilities to identify and validate human targets with robust scientific support. Our commitment to leveraging OGAP capabilities underscores our dedication to advancing the forefront of cancer therapy development, with three programs originating from this technology now in clinical development in the US and Europe. OBT’s Immuno-oncology discovery process provides unique insights into the cancer-immune cell synapse and has identified several novel IO monoclonal and bispecific antibody candidates for cancer therapies.
OBT's lead clinical program, OBT076, is currently in Phase I clinical trials in patients with advanced or refractory solid tumors, including gastric, bladder, ovarian and lung cancers, where CD205 is overexpressed.
OBT’s pipeline and development capabilities have been validated through multiple strategic partnerships including with Roche, Boehringer Ingelheim, ImmunoGen (now part of Abbvie) and Zymeworks as well as other world leaders in antibody development (such as Amgen, WuXi, Medarex (BMS) and Alere (Abbott). OBT has a strong oncology focused management team and board with significant experience in developing IO and antibody-based therapies.
For more information on Oxford BioTherapeutics, please visit www.oxfordbiotherapeutics.com and follow us on LinkedIn.
Partnering:
Dr Christian Rohlff, CEO
Partnering@oxfordbiotherapeutics.com
Media:
MEDiSTRAVA
Sylvie Berrebi, Sandi Greenwood, Erica Hollingsworth
E : OBT@medistrava.com
T : +44 (0)203 928 6900
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