Rallybio Corporation, a clinical-stage biotechnology company headquartered in New Haven has entered a strategic alliance with AbCellera to discover, develop, and commercialize novel antibody-based therapeutics for rare diseases.

The multi-year, multi-target collaboration will combine AbCellera's antibody discovery engine with Rallybio's clinical and commercial expertise in rare diseases. Under the agreement, the two companies will co-develop up to five rare disease therapeutic targets, selected jointly. The partnership also provides AbCellera the option to conduct process development and clinical manufacturing activities. The first program will focus on patients with rare metabolic diseases.

"AbCellera's clinically validated discovery engine will strengthen our efforts in identifying novel rare disease candidates to add to our existing pipeline," said Martin Mackay, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Rallybio. "We are excited to establish this partnership and look forward to working closely with our colleagues at AbCellera as we build novel medicines together."

Rallybio, which launched in January 2018, is developing therapies targeting rare diseases across hematology, immuno-inflammation, maternal fetal health, and metabolic disorders. The company maintains its headquarters in New Haven and an additional facility at the University of Connecticut's Technology Incubation Program in Farmington.

"It's clear that we need to accelerate drug development for rare diseases to address the enormous unmet medical need for these patients," said Carl Hansen, Ph.D., founder and CEO of AbCellera. "Rallybio's team has decades of experience in sourcing, identifying, and evaluating therapeutic targets. By bringing together Rallybio's deep expertise in rare diseases with AbCellera's integrated technology for delivering clinical leads with unmatched precision and speed, this partnership creates a unique advantage that we believe will deliver new and transformative medicines to patients."