Boehringer Ingelheim Enters into Partnership with Cue Biopharma to Develop Treatment for Autoimmune Diseases
Tuesday, April 15, 2025
Boehringer Ingelheim has entered into a research collaboration and licensing agreement with Cue Biopharma to advance a potential new therapy for autoimmune and inflammatory diseases.
The partnership will focus on the development and commercialisation of CUE-501, a preclinical product candidate designed to selectively deplete B cells.
Cue Biopharma is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company working on innovative biologics that engage and modulate disease-specific T cells. Its CUE-501 candidate targets a membrane protein found on B cells while also engaging virus-specific memory killer T cells. This dual action aims to reduce autoimmune and inflammatory activity with greater precision and potentially fewer side effects than current B cell-targeting therapies.
The collaboration will allow Boehringer Ingelheim to strengthen its research and development portfolio in autoimmune and inflammatory diseases—areas where effective treatment options remain limited, and patients often require multiple therapies to find relief.
As part of the agreement, Boehringer will use Cue Biopharma’s T-cell engager platform to further develop the candidate and explore additional bispecific molecules that target B cells in autoimmune conditions.
Cue Biopharma will receive an upfront payment of $12 million along with research support. The agreement includes potential milestone payments of up to $345 million, linked to research, development, and commercial progress. Royalties on net sales are also part of the deal.
The collaboration aims to validate Cue Biopharma’s proprietary Immuno-STAT™ platform and contribute to the development of a new class of targeted therapies for autoimmune diseases.
Source: boehringer-ingelheim.com
