3M licenses TLR compounds to Celldex for vaccine adjuvant development

ST. PAUL, Minn. 3M Drug Delivery Systems will license its toll-like receptor agonist compounds to Celldex Therapeutics for an undisclosed sum under a licensing agreement announced Wednesday.

Celldex plans to use the TLR immune-response modifier compounds, for which 3M owns the patent, to develop new vaccine products. The licensing agreement is non-exclusive, and 3M will royalties and milestone payments in addition to the licensing fee.

3M’s TLR compounds, also known as TLR7 and TLR8 agonists, have shown promise as vaccine adjuvants. They are small, organically synthesized molecules whose size gives them an advantage over other TLR agonists. Some of 3M’s other TLR7 and TLR8 agonists can be attached to proteins to enhance the efficacy of vaccines.

3M Drug Delivery Systems is a division of 3M. Celldex Therapeutics is a wholly owned subsidiary of AVANT Immunotherapeutics.