SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. — September 17, 2026
Dualitas Therapeutics announced a research collaboration and license agreement with Roche to discover and develop novel bispecific antibody (BsAb) therapies for immunology and inflammation (I&I) diseases. Under the agreement, Dualitas will receive $36.5 million in upfront payments and is eligible for research, development and commercial milestone payments that could bring the total deal value to up to $1 billion, in addition to tiered royalties. The collaboration will use Dualitas’ DualScreen™ Bispecific Discovery Engine to functionally screen more than 300,000 novel bispecific combinations, representing one of the largest-scale bispecific discovery efforts described by the company. Roche will assume responsibility for subsequent preclinical development, regulatory activities, manufacturing and commercialization.
DualScreen Platform Targets Novel Proximity Biology
Dualitas’ DualScreen platform is designed to identify functional interactions between antibody target pairs across entire cell surfaces, rather than restricting discovery to predetermined combinations. The system interrogates the proximity biology of hundreds of thousands of bispecific configurations across a broad range of targets and epitopes. Dualitas said its approach can identify novel proximity mechanisms and synergistic biological activities that may not be achievable through conventional single-target antibodies or predefined bispecific designs. The company combines high-throughput functional screening with optimization capabilities to rapidly progress selected combinations toward differentiated drug candidates. The Roche collaboration will apply this discovery engine specifically to I&I disease research, creating an opportunity to evaluate a large number of potential target and epitope combinations within a single discovery program.
Roche to Lead Development and Commercial Activities
Roche will oversee the downstream development of candidates emerging from the collaboration, including preclinical development, regulatory submissions, manufacturing and commercial activities. The partnership expands Roche’s external innovation strategy in immunology and inflammation while giving Dualitas access to Roche’s development and commercialization infrastructure. For Dualitas, the agreement provides a substantial upfront payment and the potential for additional milestone payments and royalties as programs progress. The collaboration also allows the company to continue advancing its own internal proximity biology pipeline while applying its discovery platform to a large-scale partnered program. Dualitas said the partnership builds on its expertise in developing bispecific antibodies designed to generate amplified or synergistic therapeutic effects through cell-surface proximity mechanisms.
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Dualitas Expands Proximity-Based Bispecific Pipeline
The Roche agreement adds a major strategic collaboration to Dualitas’ internal pipeline of proximity engager bispecific antibodies for I&I diseases. Founded in 2023, the company is advancing DTX-102 in rheumatoid arthritis, DTX-103 in allergic disease and DTX-101 in dermatologic and gastrointestinal autoimmune disease, alongside additional programs based on cell-surface proximity biology and novel co-target pairing. Dualitas expects its internal therapeutic pipeline to enter clinical development in the coming year while continuing to explore external collaborations ranging from existing programs to de novo bispecific discovery. With more than 300,000 combinations planned for functional screening, $36.5 million in upfront funding and potential deal value of up to $1 billion, the Roche collaboration significantly expands the application of DualScreen technology and strengthens Dualitas’ strategy around next-generation proximity biology therapeutics.
Source: Dualitas Therapeutics, press release
