After generating interest from the likes of Pfizer and GSK, Quotient Therapeutics’ somatic genomics platform has attracted another Big Pharma suitor in Merck & Co.
Looking to devise new drug targets in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), Merck will pay Quotient $20 million upfront for access to the Flagship Pioneering-founded biotech’s somatic genomics platform.
Quotient’s tech interrogates patient tissue for somatic genetic mutations “within the context of disease,” aiming to pinpoint mutations that cause or protect from various conditions, the company explained in a March 24 press release.
According to Quotient, the somatic genome encompasses trillions of different genomes that exist in cells as a byproduct of somatic mutations, which begin in utero and continue throughout a person’s life in response to internal and external factors.
Under the terms of the agreement, Quotient is on track to receive potential development, regulatory and commercial milestones that contribute to a total prospective deal value of $2.2 billion.
“Quotient’s platform has the potential to provide us with unique biological insights into genomic changes that are naturally occurring within patients with IBD,” Marc Levesque, M.D., Ph.D., vice president of discovery at Merck Research Laboratories, said in a statement Tuesday. “Millions of people globally are living with this disease, and no disease-modifying treatments are currently available.”
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Immunology remains a key development focus for Merck, and the New Jersey pharma giant made a big bet on the IBD space in particular with its nearly $11 billion purchase of Prometheus Biosciences and its anti-TL1A antibody candidate tulisokibart back in 2023.
The experimental monoclonal antibody is currently engaged in two late-stage studies for IBD, Atlas-UC and Ares-CD, which are assessing the drug in ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease, respectively.
In October, Merck announced the commencement of phase 2b trials for tulisokibart, also known as MK-7240, in three additional indications: moderate to severe hidradenitis suppurativa, radiographic axial spondyloarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.
Meanwhile, Quotient’s bespoke, genetic-diversity-focused platform has continued to garner interest from major pharma players over the past few years.
Last fall, GSK tapped Quotient to help discover new targets for liver diseases as part of a broader, $7 billion biobucks deal with Flagship Pioneering, which also included a tie-up with Quotient’s sibling spinout Profound Therapeutics.
For each program GSK potentially picks up, Flagship and its companies stand to receive up to $720 million in total payments.
In Quotient’s case, the company is involved in three separate agreements with GSK to hunt for disease-causing drug targets for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis.
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Quotient is also engaged in work with Pfizer under a similar accord with its founder, Flagship.
In August 2024, Pfizer and Flagship added Quotient as part of a larger 10-program partnership, striking a deal to discover new targets for programs in cardiovascular and renal diseases.
Flagship launched the genomics-focused Quotient in 2022 before publicly debuting the biotech a year later.
