Immunotherapy developer BioNTech of Mainz, Germany, has partnered with Roche's Genentech unit to develop, manufacture and commercialize novel mRNA-based, individualized cancer vaccines. The strategic collaboration combines S. San Francisco–based Genentech's cancer immunotherapy portfolio and research program with BioNTech's proprietary Individualized Vaccines Against Cancer (IVAC) clinical platform that uses next-generation sequencing of a patient's cancer genome to identify an array of unique mutations, known as the tumor 'mutanome', that potentially encodes for neoantigens. These neoantigens can be exploited by making an mRNA vaccine encoding selected neoantigens for each individual tumor's mutanome signature, triggering an immune response highly specific to the tumor. The approach could result in precisely targeted cell death in a broad range of cancers. “Unlike any medicine we have ever developed, virtually all cancer patients may potentially benefit from a custom built cancer vaccine,” said James Sabry, senior vice president and global head of Genentech partnering. “By collaborating with BioNTech on this cutting edge approach, we hope to truly advance cancer treatments by using a common molecular backbone—mRNA—that is uniquely tailored to an individual patient.” Genentech agreed to pay BioNTech $310 million in upfront and near-term milestone payments, and the two companies will share all development costs and any potential profits, with BioNTech retaining the right to co-promote certain products that arise from the agreement in the US, Germany and several other markets. The deal with Genentech follows previously announced collaborations with Bayer for new mRNA vaccines and therapeutics for animal health applications, and Sanofi for cancer immunotherapies.