Disco Pharmaceuticals Partners With Amgen on Cancer Drugs
The Cologne biotech will develop bispecific antibody therapeutics under a licensing deal with Amgen worth up to USD 618 million.
Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in Biotech
Disco Pharmaceuticals, a Cologne-based biotech founded in 2022 as an ETH Zurich spin-off, has entered a licensing partnership with Amgen. The company also completed a EUR 36 million seed financing round led by Ackermans & van Haaren and NRW.Bank.
Why it matters
The deal gives Disco external backing for its approach of targeting pairs of proteins that appear together on cancer cells but not on healthy ones. It also strengthens the company's position as it prepares for a planned series A round.
The Amgen agreement carries a potential total value of up to USD 618 million plus tiered royalties, while the seed round raised EUR 36 million. The upfront payment and milestone schedule have not been disclosed.
The players
Disco Pharmaceuticals
A Cologne-based biotech company founded in 2022 as a spin-off of ETH Zurich, developing AND-gated bispecific antibody therapeutics for cancer.
Amgen
A major U.S. biotechnology company that has taken a licensing position in Disco's bispecific antibody programmes.
Ackermans & van Haaren
A Belgian investment holding company that led Disco's EUR 36 million seed financing round.
NRW.Bank
The state development bank of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, which co-led Disco's seed financing round.
Dr Mark Manfredi
The newly appointed Chief Executive Officer of Disco Pharmaceuticals.
The details
Disco Pharmaceuticals designs its drugs to act only when two target proteins are bound at once, identifying protein pairs that are co-expressed on cancer cells and mutually exclusive on healthy ones. Its proprietary platform maps the surfaceome of cancer cells, and its lead programmes target small-cell lung cancer and colorectal cancer, with preclinical steps planned for 2027.
Timeline
2022: Disco Pharmaceuticals founded in Cologne as an ETH Zurich spin-off.
Turn of 2025-2026: Amgen partnership signed and seed financing finalised.
2027: Preclinical development of lead programmes expected to begin.
Coming months: Planned series A financing round.
The Tech Race
Disco's AND-gated bispecific design extends the bispecific antibody class by restricting activity to cancer cells where two proteins co-occur, a selectivity goal that has shaped recent antibody drug development. The Amgen deal places the approach alongside large pharmaceutical partners competing to commercialise next-generation oncology antibodies.
The development is still preclinical, so patients will not have access to these therapies for years. Its progress will determine whether new cancer treatments with more selective targeting reach clinics in the future.
The takeaway
Drugs that require two markers to be present before they act could reduce damage to healthy tissue, a goal worth watching as the field matures. Readers tracking cancer care should follow clinical milestones rather than licensing headlines alone.
What happens next
Disco Pharmaceuticals plans a series A financing round in the coming months and expects preclinical development of its lead programmes to start in 2027.
Further reading
Explore more on Biotech developments shaping cancer treatment.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Vc-magazin.
