Trillium and Genentech enter into global license agreement

    TORONTO, Dec. 14 /PRNewswire/ - Trillium Therapeutics Inc. (TTI), a
 Canadian biopharmaceutical company, announced today that it has entered into
 an agreement with Genentech, Inc. (NYSE:   DNA), granting the latter exclusive
 worldwide rights to TTI's technology to develop and commercialize products
 directed against a particular target (undisclosed).
     Under the terms of the agreement, TTI will receive an upfront payment,
 research funding and milestone payments. TTI will also receive royalties on
 product sales in the event of commercialized products. No other financial
 terms were disclosed. The companies will together complete preclinical
 development activities, while Genentech will be solely responsible for
 clinical development, regulatory approvals, manufacturing and
 commercialization.
     "To ensure broad and optimal development of this promising program, we
 chose to partner with a world-leading biotechnology company that will bring
 significant resources and expertise in the development and manufacturing of
 protein therapeutics", stated TTI's CEO, Dr. Niclas Stiernholm. "This new
 relationship with Genentech confirms the quality of TTI's program and
 validates the company's strategy to use its core immunology research and
 development capabilities to build a portfolio of promising therapeutic product
 candidates. The execution of this agreement will facilitate the advancement of
 this research program towards the clinic and provides TTI with resources to
 advance our existing programs, as well as to explore several new product
 opportunities", added Dr. Stiernholm.
     "This agreement is a testimony, not only to the excellent science
 emanating from our universities, but to the superb management of the science
 by Dr. Stiernholm and his team who, in a relatively short period of time,
 moved the discovery from academic to commercial interest. This collaboration
 puts the company in the top echelon of Canadian private companies
 historically", said Calvin Stiller, Chairman of the Board of Trillium
 Therapeutics.
 
     About Trillium:
 
     Trillium Therapeutics Inc. is a private research and development company
 specializing in innovative therapies that restore balance to the immune system
 in conditions associated with aberrant and harmful immune responses. These
 include autoimmune and inflammatory disorders, graft rejection, cancer and
 chronic viral diseases. The Company identifies early-stage therapeutic
 candidates with promising preclinical profiles and advances these towards
 clinical testing, with the primary objective of demonstrating safety and
 efficacy in humans. TTI currently has three programs, two targeting the CD200
 immunoregulatory axis and a third that focuses on pro-inflammatory cytokine
 receptor antagonists. The company has a broad network of external academic and
 industry R&D collaborations.
 
 

SOURCE  Trillium Therapeutics Inc.