Latham & Watkins Advises Agenus on Formation of New Subsidiary

Agenus Inc. (Agenus), an immuno-oncology company with an extensive pipeline of checkpoint antibodies, cell therapies, adjuvants, and vaccines designed to activate immune response to cancers and infections, has announced the launch of SaponiQx, a subsidiary of Agenus, dedicated to driving innovation in novel adjuvant discovery and vaccine design, and its partnership with Ginkgo Bioworks, Inc. (Ginkgo), the leading horizontal platform for cell programming. Ginkgo, which recently announced a business combination with Soaring Eagle Acquisition Corp. (Nasdaq: SRNG), is enabling customers across industries to improve products and manufacturing processes, and to increase efficiency and sustainability, by making biology easier to engineer.

Latham & Watkins LLP represents Agenus Inc. in the transaction. The licensing team was led by partner Judith Hasko, with associates Jekkie Kim, Katie Mladinich, and Jiqiang Lin. The corporate deal team was led by partner Pete Handrinos, with associate Jasmine Joseph. Advice was also provided on tax matters by partners Kirt Switzer and Katharine Moir, with associate Alexander Farris.