C4 Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, has announced a new collaboration with Roche to develop a cutting-edge cancer treatment approach built around degrader-antibody conjugates (DACs).

 

The partnership aims to fuse antibody-drug conjugation (ADC) technology with targeted protein degradation (TPD), combining the precision delivery of antibodies with the catalytic, selective action of protein degraders. The companies say the goal is to unlock a new class of cancer therapies with improved efficiency and therapeutic impact.

 

“For the past decade, C4T and Roche have worked together to drive research in targeted protein degradation and to establish this modality as a new way to treat cancer,” said Andrew Hirsch, president and chief executive officer of C4 Therapeutics. 

 

“Our new collaboration leverages C4T’s ability to design highly catalytic and selective degraders, as well as degrader payloads for DACs, alongside Roche’s extensive experience developing ADCs with specific binding. Together, these capabilities build a powerful new modality that can offer transformative medicines for patients.”

 

Roche emphasized the long-standing relationship between the two companies and its continued commitment to the technology.

 

“Roche has been a believer in targeted protein degradation and its potential for differentiation early on, when partnering with C4T for the first time in 2016,” said Boris Zaïtra, head of corporate business development, Roche. 

 

“Our relationship with C4 Therapeutics is built on a decade of trust and shared scientific ambition. We are pleased to enter into our third collaboration, expanding our long-standing partnership to pioneer the emerging modality of degrader-antibody conjugates (DACs).”

 

Under the agreement, the companies will jointly pursue two oncology programs targeting undisclosed cancer drivers. C4T will apply its proprietary TORPEDO platform to design degrader payload candidates, while Roche will develop and select the antibodies, handle conjugation, and lead preclinical, clinical, and commercial development of resulting candidates.

 

Financially, C4 Therapeutics will receive a $20 million upfront payment for the two initial programs, with additional payments tied to milestones and the option for a third target. The deal could ultimately deliver more than $1 billion in discovery, regulatory, and commercial milestone payments, alongside tiered royalties on future product sales.

 

Degrader-antibody conjugates represent an emerging evolution of antibody-drug conjugates, which have improved cancer treatment over the past 15 years but still face limits in therapeutic margin. 

 

DACs aim to address that gap by delivering small-molecule degraders directly to cancer cells, enabling a catalytic mechanism of action designed to improve precision and potentially expand treatment impact.