Earendil Labs has formed a research collaboration with Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, to discover and develop multiple therapeutic bispecific antibody programs in oncology, the company announced September 24, 2026.¹ Under the agreement, Earendil Labs will receive a $55 million upfront payment, with the collaboration's total potential value, including development, regulatory, and sales milestones, exceeding $1.5 billion.¹ The deal is subject to customary closing conditions.
Key facts
- Companies: Earendil Labs; Genentech, a member of the Roche Group
- Deal type: Research collaboration covering multiple bispecific antibody programs
- Therapeutic area: Oncology
- Upfront payment: $55 million
- Total potential value: More than $1.5 billion, including development, regulatory, and sales milestones
- Additional terms: Tiered royalties on net product sales
- Earendil's role: Antibody discovery and research through early clinical development
- Genentech's role: Global clinical development and commercialization
- Status: Subject to customary closing conditions
"Earendil Labs is building an AI-driven high-throughput biology platform that effectively integrates AI directly into biologics research and development—from predictive protein modeling and generative protein design to rapid experimental validation," said Jian Peng, PhD, CEO of Earendil Labs, in a company press release.¹ "By combining our platform with Genentech's deep expertise in oncology drug development, we aim to accelerate the creation of differentiated bispecific antibodies and translate them into new medicines."
What are the deal's financial terms?
Earendil Labs will receive $55 million upfront under the agreement.¹ The total potential value of the collaboration, including upfront, development, regulatory, and sales milestone payments, is in excess of $1.5 billion, and Earendil Labs is also eligible for tiered royalties on net product sales.¹ Neither company disclosed the number of target combinations covered by the agreement, the size of individual milestone payments, or a timeline for closing.
How will the work be divided between the two companies?
Earendil Labs will lead antibody discovery and research through the early clinical development stage for programs directed at pre-agreed target combinations. Genentech will then assume responsibility for subsequent global clinical development and commercialization of any antibody programs that emerge from the collaboration, consistent with its role as the larger, late-stage development partner in the deal.¹
Why is Genentech pursuing bispecific antibodies in oncology?
Zhenping Zhu, MD, PhD, president and co-CEO of Earendil Labs, said in the release that many cancer patients develop drug resistance or relapse despite advances in targeted therapies and immunotherapies, in part because tumor growth and metastasis depend on multiple, interacting biological pathways that single-mechanism therapies struggle to address.¹ Bispecific antibodies are designed to target complementary disease biology within a single medicine, potentially offering more durable benefit than treatments aimed at one target.
Boris L. Zaïtra, head of Roche corporate business development, said in the release that bispecific antibodies "have reframed how we approach treatment precision in oncology" and that partnering with companies such as Earendil Labs helps Roche address high relapse rates and limited options for patients with cancer.¹
What is Earendil Labs' AI drug discovery platform?
Earendil Labs is an AI-powered biotechnology company developing next-generation biologics for cancer, autoimmune, and other diseases with unmet medical need. The company, along with its affiliate Helixon, combines machine learning, generative protein engineering, and high-throughput experimental techniques in a proprietary framework intended to optimize the functionality, manufacturability, and developability of protein-based biologics.¹
In related news, Genentech has pursued several external AI and biologics partnerships in recent years. The company formed a multi-year AI-driven drug discovery collaboration with NVIDIA in 2023,2 and in 2024 it licensed Sangamo Therapeutics' epigenetic regulation and capsid technologies for genomic medicines in a deal that included $50 million in upfront and near-term milestone payments plus up to $1.9 billion in additional development and commercial milestones.3
What are the limitations?
The collaboration remains subject to customary closing conditions and has not yet been finalized. Neither company has disclosed the specific target combinations, program names, or preclinical data supporting the antibody programs covered by the deal. The $1.5 billion total value depends on development, regulatory, and sales milestones that are not necessarily guaranteed, and no bispecific antibody from this collaboration has entered clinical testing.
References
- Earendil Labs. Earendil Labs announces research collaboration with Genentech to discover and develop therapeutic bispecific antibodies in oncology. Press release. Published September 24, 2026. Accessed September 25, 2026. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/earendil-labs-announces-research-collaboration-with-genentech-to-discover-and-develop-therapeutic-bispecific-antibodies-in-oncology-302888622.html
- Genentech. Genentech and NVIDIA enter into strategic AI research collaboration to accelerate drug discovery and development. Press release. Published November 21, 2023. Accessed September 25, 2026. https://www.gene.com/media/press-releases/15010/2023-11-21/genentech-and-nvidia-enter-into-strategi
- Sangamo Therapeutics. Sangamo Therapeutics announces global epigenetic regulation and capsid delivery license agreement with Genentech to develop novel genomic medicines for neurodegenerative diseases. Press release. Published August 6, 2024. Accessed September 25, 2026. https://investor.sangamo.com/news-releases/news-release-details/sangamo-therapeutics-announces-global-epigenetic-regulation-and
