Roche’s subsidiary Genentech has entered into a partnership with Caris Life Sciences to develop new therapies for solid tumors. As part of the agreement, Genentech will pay $25 million upfront and could provide up to $1.1 billion in milestone payments tied to research, development, commercial achievements, and net sales. Caris may also receive tiered royalties if products from the collaboration reach the market. The number of programs or specific cancer indications targeted was not disclosed.
The partnership grants Roche access to Caris’ AI-driven platform, which contains nearly 500,000 solid tumor samples along with associated molecular and clinical data. This data supports what Caris describes as “sophisticated and flexible target discovery capabilities,” feeding into an integrated workflow that combines laboratory experiments with bioinformatics.
Boris Zaitra, head of Corporate Business Development at Roche, said in a statement: “The Caris partnership will allow Roche to ‘pursue future innovation for patients with unmet needs.’”
Roche’s deal-making activity has been notable throughout 2025. In September, Roche acquired 89bio for $3.5 billion in a transaction focused on the FGF21 analog pegozafermin for metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis. Last month, Roche made another AI-related deal by paying $55 million upfront to Manifold Bio to work on developing molecular shuttles designed to cross the blood-brain barrier; that agreement could be worth up to $2 billion including milestones and royalties. Additional agreements this year include a more than $2 billion molecular glue collaboration with Orionis Biosciences announced in May and an aging-focused alliance with Gero in July that could exceed $1 billion.
During its third-quarter earnings call in October, CEO Thomas Schinecker indicated that Roche was “not done” making deals—a position reinforced by these recent collaborations.
