ZURICH, Switzerland, July 2, 2026
VERAXA Biotech AG announced the initiation of cell line development for its lead BiTAC® T-cell engager (BiTAC-TCE) program through a strategic collaboration with ATUM, a leading U.S.-based contract research organization specializing in bioengineering and cell line development. The partnership will utilize ATUM’s proprietary Leap-In Transposase® technology to generate stable, high-producing clonal cell lines that will support IND/CTA-enabling activities, manufacturing process development, and future clinical supply. The milestone represents a significant advancement in VERAXA’s strategy to transition its lead oncology candidate from preclinical research into clinical development while strengthening its manufacturing capabilities for next-generation antibody therapeutics. The collaboration follows encouraging preclinical findings presented at the AACR Annual Meeting 2026, reinforcing confidence in the company’s innovative BiTAC-TCE platform.
ATUM Partnership Strengthens Manufacturing and Development Strategy
The collaboration with ATUM is designed to establish a reliable manufacturing foundation for VERAXA’s lead BiTAC-TCE candidate by generating stable clonal production cell lines capable of supporting every stage of biologics development. These cell lines will play a central role in Chemistry, Manufacturing and Controls (CMC) activities, including process optimization, analytical testing, formulation development, and production of materials for nonclinical studies. Leap-In Transposase® technology, which has supported more than 50 Investigational New Drug (IND) submissions, is particularly well suited for complex multi-chain antibody formats that require balanced expression of multiple protein components. By integrating ATUM’s established cell line development platform, VERAXA aims to improve manufacturing consistency, scalability, and regulatory readiness as it advances toward IND and Clinical Trial Application (CTA) submissions.
BiTAC Technology Targets Safer Next-Generation Cancer Therapies
VERAXA’s BiTAC® T-cell engager platform has been developed to overcome one of the biggest challenges associated with conventional bispecific T-cell engagers (TCEs)—on-target, off-tumor toxicity. Traditional T-cell engagers activate immune cells whenever they bind a tumor-associated antigen, which can also be present on healthy tissues, potentially causing serious side effects. The BiTAC® platform introduces a novel dual-target “AND”-gated mechanism, splitting the therapeutic into two inactive precursor molecules that only become fully functional when both bind separate target antigens on the same cancer cell. This conditional activation strategy is designed to increase tumor specificity, minimize unintended immune activation, and potentially allow higher therapeutic dosing with a wider safety margin. The differentiated molecular design positions BiTAC-TCEs as a promising new class of antibody-based immunotherapies for difficult-to-treat cancers.
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Preclinical Progress Positions VERAXA for Future Clinical Development
Initial preclinical data presented at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2026 demonstrated that VERAXA’s lead BiTAC-TCE candidate selectively destroyed cancer cells expressing both target markers while sparing healthy cells carrying only one target antigen. The studies showed a superior safety profile with comparable anti-tumor efficacy relative to traditional T-cell engagers, suggesting the potential for a significantly improved therapeutic index. With cell line development now underway, VERAXA is advancing the program toward IND/CTA-enabling studies, an essential milestone before initiating human clinical trials. The collaboration with ATUM further strengthens the company’s long-term Bio-Pharma development strategy, combining innovative antibody engineering with scalable manufacturing technologies to accelerate the development of next-generation cancer therapeutics and expand its pipeline of advanced biologic medicines.
Source: VERAXA Biotech press release
