Mon, March 8, 2021, 8:30 PM

LOS GATOS, Calif., March 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Aridis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: ARDS) today announced that it has entered into an out-licensing and product discovery agreement with Kermode Biotechnologies, Inc. Kermode works on vaccines and mAbs for zoonotic viruses, which are animal viruses that have the ability to infect humans.
Under the terms of the agreement, the activities of each party and the products discovered using Aridis' APEXTM platform are structured as follow:
Kermode Biotechnologies
(Veterinary indications)
Aridis Pharma
(Human indications)
Aridis Leadership on the Licensing Agreement
"This agreement represents a continuation in Aridis' expansion into the product discovery and development for viral pathogens, particularly those pathogens with pandemic potential. The licensing agreement with Kermode Biotechnologies presents another point of validation for our APEX antibody discovery platform," said, Vu Truong, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Aridis.

"As we have witnessed the global health and economic impact of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, it is critical we turn our attention towards other potential viruses that could reach pandemic levels. Given the potential for high morbidity and mortality associated with zoonotic viruses that cross over to the human population, we view this pivot as a natural segue for Aridis in our ongoing effort to stay ahead of emerging infectious diseases and protect the health of patients worldwide."

依据引入方向不同,授权合作可以分为License-in和License-out两类,前者是引入方付费向授权方购买许可,后者是授权方收费向引入方授予许可。在新药研发领域,近年来License-in和License-out都比较常见,相对而言,License-out是要求研发标的得到国际巨头企业的认可,难度要更大。