Catalent, Inc.through its wholly owned subsidiary, Redwood Bioscience, Inc., has formed a research collaboration with Roche to develop n molecules coupling different therapeutic modalities using Catalent’s proprietary SMARTag technology, an antibody drug conjugate platform. 

Under the deal, Roche will gain non-exclusive access to the SMARTag platform and will have an option to take commercial licenses to develop molecules directed to a defined number of targets. Use of SMARTag, Catalent's programmable protein-modification technology, combined with the highly stable Hydrazino-Pictet-Spengler (HIPSâ„¢) conjugation platform, will permit evaluation of alternative sites of drug conjugation so that Roche may develop molecules optimized for efficacy, safety and stability. Roche will pay Catalent an up-front fee of $1 million and provide additional research funding during the initial phase of the collaboration. Catalent has the potential to receive up to $618 million in development and commercial milestones, plus royalties on net sales of products, if Roche pursues commercial licenses and all options are exercised.

Catalent announced in April 2013 that it had acquired an exclusive license to market the SMARTag technology and subsequently collaborated with Redwood for the ongoing development and marketing of the platform. It later acquired Redwood in 2014.

The SMARTag technology enables the generation of homogenous bioconjugates, and is engineered to improve performance and ease of manufacturing.

Source: Catalent