Pharma BD Deal Intelligence
An option/collaboration deal that ended in mutual termination after four years with no disclosed product to show for it. AbbVie put in just $2 million upfront against Synlogic's synthetic biotic platform for inflammatory bowel disease, and the partnership was wound down in May 2020 before any milestones materialized.
AbbVie and Synlogic entered a multi-year global R&D collaboration in February 2016 focused on developing novel synthetic biotic medicines for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Synlogic's proprietary 'synthetic biotic' platform engineers gut microbes to deliver therapeutic effects. AbbVie paid $2.0 million upfront and committed up to $16.5 million in research milestones ($18.5M total disclosed value). Collaboration was terminated by mutual agreement May 21, 2020.
0 US cases/yr · $1.5B ~$1.5B synthetic biology therapeutics market (2024) · ~$30B Projected global synthetic biology market by 2030
Synlogic pioneered synthetic biotic medicines - genetically engineered microorganisms programmed to sense disease contexts within a patient body and respond by metabolizing toxic substances or delivering therapeutic factors. This $2M deal with AbbVie involved early-stage research collaboration on the engineered microbial platform for immunology or metabolic applications.
Synlogic Synthetic Biotic platform engineers probiotic bacteria (E. coli Nissle) with genetic circuits that activate in specific disease environments. Programs targeted phenylketonuria (SYNB1618), hyperoxaluria, and inflammatory diseases. The company ceased operations in 2024 after clinical setbacks, but attracted partnerships from AbbVie and Roche.
Transaction completed based on available records. Limited structured data available for this deal.
Limited public data available for this transaction. Assessment based on available corporate records and SEC filings.
| Deal | Year | Value | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| AbbVie Inc. / Synlogic (this deal) | 2016 | $18M | 48 |
| AbbVie Inc. / Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH | 2016 | $2.2B | 95 |
| AbbVie Inc. / Genmab A/S | 2020 | $3.9B | 81 |
| AbbVie Inc. / Pharmacyclics Inc. | 2015 | $21.0B | 79 |
| AbbVie Inc. / Apogee Therapeutics, Inc. | 2026 | $10.9B | 72 |
| AbbVie Inc. / ImmunoGen Inc. | 2023 | $10.1B | 69 |
| AbbVie Inc. / Gilgamesh Pharmaceuticals Inc. | 2024 | $2.0B | 64 |
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