Oxford BioTherapeutics has entered a multi-year collaboration with Bristol Myers Squibb to discover and develop novel T-cell engager therapies for solid tumours, marking the company’s third major pharma partnership in 12 months.

The agreement will see OBT apply its OGAP-Verify discovery and validation platform to identify tumour-selective targets and generate next-generation T-cell engager molecules.

The company will also design and deliver development candidates, reflecting its expansion into a fully integrated discovery and preclinical development organisation.  BMS will lead subsequent research, development and commercialisation.

Under the terms of the deal, OBT will receive an upfront payment inclusive of research funding, along with potential milestone payments and royalties on commercialised products. Financial details were not disclosed.

The collaboration follows partnerships signed with GSK and Roche in 2025, reinforcing growing industry confidence in OBT’s platform.

Christian Rohlff, Chief Executive Officer of OBT, said: “Collaborating with Bristol Myers Squibb, a global leader in oncology, represents an important milestone for OBT and underscores the momentum behind our partnerships with leading pharmaceutical companies.”

He added: “This new partnership builds on the proven strength of our platform to identify and validate highly differentiated, tumour-selective targets and reflects the growing confidence in our ability to translate that science into development-ready therapeutic candidates.

“By combining OGAP-Verify’s discovery and validation capabilities with Bristol Myers Squibb’s expertise in translating oncology innovation into clinical and commercial outcomes, we are confident that together we can advance a new generation of innovative cancer therapies that have the potential to make a meaningful difference for patients.”

Providing automated, in-house and on demand oligonucleotide production in only a few hours, the SYNTAX platform will be distributed across Latin American by Gencell and in South Korea by BMS, with customers in Japan to be supported by Biostream.

Each of the companies distributing SYNTAX will provide local access to DNA synthesis without a reliance on overseas manufacturing, through established regional networks, shifting the current centralised supply chains to local DNA production.

Iwabuchi Takeshi, President of BioStream, said: “This partnership strengthens our ability to deliver advanced life sciences technologies throughout Japan, helping customers reduce dependence on overseas synthesis and long delivery timelines.”

While oligonucleotides are a critical input for a wide range of applications, researchers who are located far away from large-scale synthesis centres can experience long delivery times or logistical constraints, leading to project delays.

Dukhyun Lim, Vice President of Bio-Medical Science, BMS, said: “SYNTAX offers researchers greater control and speed in oligonucleotide production, enabling increased independence and control over project workflows, and we are pleased to support its availability in South Korea.”

The aim of the expansion is to broaden the global use of SYNTAX to allow researchers who are far from the oligonucleotide production hubs in Europe and the US to access DNA faster and more reliably.