AbbVie’s head of hematology Mariana Cota Stirner, M.D., Ph.D., said the deal shows commitment to \"advancing innovative treatments for complex cancers like multiple myeloma.”\n T-cell engagers have been hot property in recent months, so it’s only right that one the biggest deals to kick off the J.P. Morgan Healthcare conference should see AbbVie expanding its interest in the tech.The Big Pharma is handing China’s Simcere Zaiming an undisclosed upfront payment with the potential of up to $1.05 billion in milestone payments for a phase 1-stage trispecific antibody. The candidate, dubbed SIM0500, targets GPRC5D, BCMA and CD3 and is already in phase 1 trials for multiple myeloma in the U.S. and China.It’s not AbbVie’s first foray into T-cell engager dealmaking—the pharma paid $65 million upfront in October to license EvolveImmune’s multispecific biologics for various targets in solid and hematologic malignancies. Even before that deal, AbbVie had been showing an interest in the modality, with then-CEO Richard Gonzalez telling analysts back in 2023 that the BCMA bispecific antibody T-cell engager ABBV-383 was driving the company’s “high level of interest” in the space.In this morning’s release, AbbVie’s head of hematology Mariana Cota Stirner, M.D., Ph.D., said the deal with Simcere Zaiming, a subsidiary of Simcere Pharmaceutical, showed that the U.S. pharma is “committed to advancing innovative treatments for complex cancers like multiple myeloma through our relentless R&D efforts and collaborations.”T-cell engagers are bispecific antibodies that bind to T cells and a molecule on a target cell, coercing the T cells to attack the target. The modality has been at the center of a string of biotech announcements in recent weeks, including Candid Therapeutics’ $925 million biobucks pact with WuXi Biologics, the launch of GSK-backed Ouro Medicines and the blockbuster hype surrounding Janux Therapeutics’ phase 1 prostate cancer asset.