Ligand Enters Into Worldwide OmniAb Platform License Agreement With xCella Biosciences

Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated announces it has entered into a worldwide license agreement with Menlo Park, California-based xCella Biosciences, Inc. Under the license, xCella will be able to use the OmniRat, OmniMouse and OmniFlic platforms to discover fully human mono- and bispecific antibodies. Ligand is eligible to receive annual platform access payments, development and regulatory milestone payments and royalties for each product incorporating an OmniAb antibody. xCella will be responsible for all costs related to the programs.

“This agreement provides xCella with access to the OmniAb platform, an industry-leading technology for the discovery of fully-human antibodies,” said John Higgins, Chief Executive Officer of Ligand. “There continues to be strong partnership interest for the OmniAb platform within the antibody-discovery community, and Ligand plans to continue to efficiently leverage the technology to generate fully-funded shots on goal.”