Sutro Biopharma, Inc. (NASDAQ: STRO), a clinical-stage drug discovery, development and manufacturing company focused on the application of precise protein engineering and rational design to create next-generation oncology therapeutics, today announced that Merck, known as MSD outside the U.S. and Canada, has extended the research term of the collaboration’s first cytokine-derivative program by one year, which includes a payment to Sutro of an undisclosed amount. Sutro’s collaboration with Merck was announced in July 2018 to develop therapeutics for cancer and autoimmune disorders.
“At Sutro, our proprietary and integrated cell-free protein synthesis and site-specific conjugation platform XpressCF+™ enables us to design and develop next-generation targeted product candidates by innovating beyond the constraints of cell-based systems,” said Sutro CEO, Bill Newell. “The advancement of our novel cytokine-derivative product candidate towards IND-enabling studies marks another important step forward in our collective goal of improving the outcomes for cancer patients.”
“In all three of our current collaborations, and in three distinct therapeutic protein formats, we have progressed product candidates either into clinical development or to the late stages of preclinical development,” said Sutro Chief Scientific Officer, Trevor Hallam, PhD. “These successes with Merck and with each of our other collaborators demonstrate the power and agility of our rapid and precise engineering platform.”
