BioMed X Institute Launches New Collaboration with Daiichi Sankyo in Cancer Therapy

German research institute BioMed X started a new partnership with Daiichi Sankyo, a Japanese pharmaceutical company, to advance the development of bi- and multi-specific biologics for treating solid tumors

BioMed X, an independent biomedical research institute based in Heidelberg, Germany, announced today the launch of a new collaboration with Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd., a global pharmaceutical company headquartered in Japan. This collaboration marks the start of a cutting-edge initiative to explore innovative approaches in cancer treatment using multi-specific biologics. The new project, entitled “New Strategies for Targeting of Solid Tumors with Multi-Specific Biologics (MTT; Multi-Specific Targeting of Tumors)”, will be hosted at the BioMed X Institute in Heidelberg.

The goal of this partnership is to leverage the latest advances in multi-functional biologics, such as bi- and tri-specific antibodies, to develop new therapies that can engage multiple targets simultaneously within the tumor microenvironment. These next-generation therapies aim to overcome the limitations of conventional treatments by leveraging synergistic effects of different antitumor signaling pathways and mechanisms by manipulating proximity of multiple targets.

Call for Research Proposals

The BioMed X Institute and Daiichi Sankyo are inviting proposals from researchers around the world to participate in this ambitious project.

The MTT initiative focuses on the following key research challenges:

1. Development of new therapeutic concepts for bi- or multi-specific biologics for new extracellular or intracellular target combinations which could be exploited for the treatment of solid tumors.

2. Exploration, identification, and functional validation of promising new target combinations in vitro and in vivo.

3. Development of an elegant in vitro assay system for functional assessment of novel target combinations.

Researchers are encouraged to submit proposals that demonstrate originality, especially those supported by preliminary experimental data or utilizing state-of-the-art machine learning tools. The call is open to projects targeting any solid tumor indication. However, classical immune cell engagers, combination therapies, and other modalities outside peptides or proteins (e.g., small molecules, nucleic acids, gene or cell therapies) are not within the scope of this project.
The new research team will join seven other research groups at the BioMed X Institute in Heidelberg, Germany. Researchers who are interested in becoming part of this new research group are invited to respond to this international call for application by submitting a project proposal via the BioMed X Career Space at https://career.bio.mx/call/2025-BMX-C01 before March 9, 2025.

Christian Tidona, Founder and Managing Director of the BioMed X Institute, commented: "Partnering with Daiichi Sankyo on the MTT project allows us to expand our research in oncology, focusing on next-generation biologics that can truly make a difference for cancer patients. This collaboration exemplifies our commitment to pioneering innovative therapeutic approaches."

About BioMed X

BioMed X is an independent research institute with sites in Heidelberg, Germany, New Haven, Connecticut, XSeed Labs in Ridgefield, Connecticut, and a worldwide network of partner locations. Together with our partners, we identify big biomedical research challenges and provide creative solutions by combining global crowdsourcing with local incubation of the world’s brightest early-career research talents. Each of the highly diverse research teams at BioMed X has access to state-of-the-art research infrastructure and is continuously guided by experienced mentors from academia and industry. At BioMed X, we combine the best of two worlds – academia and industry – and enable breakthrough innovation by making biomedical research more efficient, more agile, and more fun.