Bristol Myers Squibb has agreed to pay US$200 M upfront to access Agenus’ bispecific TIGIT antibody AGEN1777, which is currently in late preclinical development. In preclinical studies, AGEN1777 has shown promise in combination with PD-1 checkpoint inhibitors, suggesting that the drug can address therapeutic resistance to anti-PD-1 therapy. As part of the licensing agreement, BMS has noted its intent to advance AGEN1777 in immuno-oncology for high priority tumour indications including non-small cell lung cancer. One day after announcing the Agenus deal, BMS announced an expanded multi-target, artificial intelligence-driven drug discovery collaboration with Exscientia, potentially worth up to US$1.2 B.