WILMINGTON, Del., Sept. 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Earendil Labs, an AI-powered biotechnology company advancing next-generation biologics, today announced a research collaboration with Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, to discover and develop multiple therapeutic bispecific antibody programs in oncology.
Under the collaboration, Earendil Labs will lead antibody discovery and research through the early clinical development stage for antibody programs directed to certain pre-agreed target combinations. Genentech will assume responsibility for subsequent global clinical development and commercialization of such antibody programs arising from the collaboration. The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions.
As part of the agreement:
- Earendil Labs will receive a $55 million upfront payment
- The total potential value of the collaboration, including upfront, development, regulatory and sales milestone payments, is in excess of $1.5 billion.
- Earendil Labs is also eligible to receive tiered royalties on net product sales.
Jian Peng, PhD, CEO of Earendil Labs, said: “Genentech is a pioneer in defining modern biologics cancer medicine. 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. 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.”
Zhenping Zhu, MD, PhD, President & co-CEO of Earendil Labs, added: “Despite many major advances in targeted cancer therapies and immunotherapies, there still exists a significant unmet medical need as many cancer patients develop drug resistance or relapse. Tumor growth and metastasis depend on multiple and interactive biological pathways, making it especially challenging for therapies directed at a single mechanism to achieve durable benefit. Bispecific antibodies offer the potential to address complementary disease biology within a single medicine. Through this strategic collaboration, we strive to discover and advance meaningful new treatment options for patients expeditiously.”
“Bispecific antibodies have reframed how we approach treatment precision in oncology,” said Boris L. Zaïtra, Head of Roche Corporate Business Development. “In cancers where patients face high relapse rates and limited options, bispecific antibodies support our commitment to delivering innovative, targeted therapies. Partnering with companies such as Earendil Labs allows us to push the boundaries of scientific innovation to meet patients’ critical unmet needs in oncology.”
About Earendil Labs
Earendil Labs is an AI-powered biotech company focusing on researching and developing next-generation innovative biologics for the treatment of autoimmune, cancer and other diseases of unmet medical needs. By combining advanced machine learning, generative protein engineering, and high-throughput experimental techniques, Earendil Labs and its affiliate Helixon streamline drug discovery & research process with aim of significantly accelerating drug development. Earendil Labs’ proprietary integrated framework enables precise optimization of functionality, manufacturability, and developability of protein-based biologics with first-in-class and/or best-in-class potential.
