UCB and Refold Therapeutics have entered a global licensing agreement to jointly develop antibody treatments for light chain amyloidosis and cancer, a deal that underscores the growing trend of established pharmaceutical companies collaborating with specialized biotechnology firms to accelerate drug development.
Refold Therapeutics, a spin-out from the University of Liverpool established in 2024, will gain exclusive global rights to develop antibodies owned by UCB that target misfolded free light chains. These proteins are implicated in light chain amyloidosis, the most prevalent form of systemic amyloid disease, and also play a role in certain cancers, including hepatocellular carcinoma, according to a statement released by Refold.
“Patients with light chain amyloidosis would benefit from an earlier diagnosis combined with improvements to their treatment,” said Tom Crabbe, CEO and Co-Founder of Refold Therapeutics.
Light chain amyloidosis occurs when incorrectly folded immune proteins accumulate in vital organs like the heart and kidneys, leading to symptoms such as breathlessness, swelling, and fatigue. Current treatments offer limited ability to remove existing protein deposits. Refold intends to utilize UCB’s antibodies to both detect harmful free light chains at earlier stages and neutralize them once they are present, aiming to improve patient survival rates rather than merely slowing disease progression.
The collaboration extends beyond amyloidosis, with plans to investigate the role of free light chains in driving tumor growth in cancers like liver cancer. Successful findings could potentially open novel avenues for oncology treatments.
Under the terms of the agreement, UCB will receive an upfront payment, along with potential milestone payments and royalties on future sales. Refold will lead the effort to advance the antibody constructs into clinical-stage drugs. Alistair Henry, Executive Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer at UCB, stated that such license agreements “are testament to the calibre of UCB’s innovative science and antibody expertise as well as a clear demonstration of the value we are creating through strong research productivity.”
The deal reflects a broader industry strategy of out-licensing early-stage assets to nimble biotech companies specializing in specific disease areas, allowing larger pharmaceutical firms to maintain a broad pipeline while sharing in the potential upside. This approach is gaining traction as a means of mitigating risk and accelerating innovation.
Refold’s emergence is also seen as a positive development for the UK life sciences sector, particularly in Liverpool. Backed by LYVA Labs, the company joins a growing number of spin-outs commercializing research from the University of Liverpool, including Galytx in oncology and Plasma Fresh in food safety. This signals a shift in the UK’s drug discovery landscape, with increasing activity outside the traditional “Golden Triangle” of London, Oxford, and Cambridge.
Researchers are increasingly looking beyond amyloid as a target for Alzheimer’s disease, exploring targets including tau, metabolism, inflammation, and brain lipid handling, according to a report published February 12, 2026. This shift comes as initial amyloid-targeting drugs have shown limited clinical benefit.
Systemic light-chain (AL) amyloidosis is a rare and complex clonal plasma cell neoplasm, characterized by the production of misfolded immunoglobulin light-chains leading to organ dysfunction, according to research published in PubMed.
