Biopharmaceutical company SAB Biotherapeutics (SAB) said on Tuesday that it has entered into a multiple research collaboration and option agreement with CSL Behring to treat challenging autoimmune, infectious and idiopathic diseases.

The partnership will share the research programme and related costs and plan to complete the initial phase in 2020. The collaboration may lead to subsequent development and commercialization agreements.

CSL Behring, a biotherapeutics company, will explore the possibility and the potential of new therapies to treat challenging autoimmune, infectious and idiopathic diseases by leveraging SAB's DiversitAb platform. SAB has developed a unique platform, through advanced genetic engineering, to naturally and rapidly produce large amounts of human antibodies without using human donors.

Under the research programme, the companies will investigate a potential new source for human immunoglobulin G (IgG) used for immunological and neurological diseases including Primary Immunodeficiency, Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy (CIDP), Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS), Immune Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP) and Multifocal Motor Neuropathy (MMN).

In addition, CSL Behring's R&D footprint includes more than 1,700 scientists across the globe with an R&D investment exceeding USD800m in 2018 - 2019.