(Adds details on deals, Innate Pharma shares)
PARIS, Jan 11 (Reuters) - Sanofi boosted itspresence in cancer research on Monday by signing two deals withbiotech companies worth up to $1.2 billion, as the Frenchdrugmaker plays catch-up with rivals in the hot research field.
Shares in French biotech group Innate Pharma, oneof the partners, jumped 15 percent on the news.
Switzerland's Novartis also announced a deal withU.S.-based Surface Oncology to increase its immuno-oncologyportfolio, although it did not give financial terms.
Scientific advances in understanding cancer have prompted aflood of pharmaceutical investment in research in recent years,with most excitement surrounding treatments that help the immunesystem fight tumours.
Bristol-Myers Squibb, Merck, Roche and AstraZeneca are currently leading the pack in suchimmuno-oncology, but other firms are looking for promisingopportunities.
Under the new deal with Innate Pharma, worth up to 400million euros ($436 million) to the Marseilles-based biotechgroup, Sanofi will get access to new technology to developso-called bispecific antibodies to fight cancer.
The hope is that the new approach will focus the immunesystem to kill cancer cells more effectively by engaging naturalkiller cells.
Separately, Sanofi is also extending an existing partnershipwith unlisted Warp Drive Bio with $750 million in new fundingfrom the drugmaker.
Under the deal, Warp Drive will lead joint research on newcancer drugs, while Sanofi will be the leader in a collaborationto find new antibiotics, the companies said in a jointstatement.
Sanofi has been a major backer of privately held Warp Drivesince its creation in 2012.($1 = 0.9170 euros) (Reporting by Laurence Frost and Ben Hirschler; Editing byJames Regan and Adrian Croft)