The agreement grants the Swiss food and beverage company’s unit the right to use Codexis’ tech – known as CodeEvolver – to discover biotherapeutic protein candidates for the treatment of metabolic disorders.
In addition to the $14m upfront, the deal stipulates that Codexis receives payments based on the achievement of clinical development milestones and regulatory approval. The Californian firm is also entitled to royalties on sales.
Nestle will also use the CodeEvolver platform to novel enzymes for use by its consumer care and medical nutrition businesses.
CDX-6114 is a preclinical candidate being developed for the treatment of phenylketonuria. Under the agreement, Codexis will fund the agent through to Phase I clinical trials at which point Nestle has the option to license it for further development and commercialization.
Nestle also has the right of first negotiation for other unspecified current candidates in Codexis’ pipeline as well as others it identifies over the next five years.
The Swiss company joins UK drug firm GSK, which licensed rights to use CodeEvolver in 2014, and US counterpart Merck & Co, which forged a similar deal the following year.