VERAXA Biotech AG (NASDAQ: VRXA) announced the initiation of cell line development for its lead BiTAC® T-cell engager (“BiTAC-TCE”) program through a collaboration with ATUM, which will apply its Leap-In Transposase® technology to generate stable clonal cell lines supporting IND/CTA-enabling activities and future clinical development. The collaboration follows encouraging preclinical data presented at the 2026 American Association for Cancer Research (“AACR”) Annual Meeting and is intended to support CMC development, including early process, analytical and formulation development, as well as the production of material for nonclinical studies.
VERAXA said its BiTAC-TCE platform is designed to improve tumor selectivity by splitting the T-cell engager into two complementary precursors that activate only when both bind separate tumor targets on the same cell. The company believes this conditional “AND”-gated approach could reduce off-tumor toxicity associated with conventional T-cell engagers while maintaining anti-cancer activity, potentially enabling higher dosing and a broader therapeutic window.
The full press release can be accessed at https://ibn.fm/FCIlk. VERAXA is building a premier engine for the discovery and development of next-generation antibody-based therapeutics, including bispecific T cell engagers, bispecific ADCs and other innovative formats. Powered by a suite of transformative technologies and guided by rigorous quality-by-design principles, the company is rapidly advancing its pipeline of ADCs and proprietary BiTAC formats into clinical development and beyond.
VERAXA was founded on scientific breakthroughs made at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), a world-renowned institution known for pioneering life science research and cutting-edge technology. BiTAC® is a registered trademark of VERAXA Biotech GmbH. For the latest news and updates relating to VRXA, visit the company’s newsroom at http://ibn.fm/VRXA.
This development marks a significant step forward in the potential clinical application of VERAXA’s BiTAC platform, which aims to address key limitations of current T-cell engagers by improving tumor specificity and reducing systemic toxicity. The collaboration with ATUM leverages advanced transposase technology to accelerate the generation of high-producing cell lines, a critical step toward enabling regulatory filings and eventual clinical trials.
