Humabs Biomed Reports Clinical Milestone In Humabs Biomed Partnership
Bellinzona (Switzerland), April 13, 2015 -- Humabs BioMed SA, a leading Swiss antibody therapeutics company, today announced that a novel antibody developed through its proprietary Cellclone technology will be investigated for the treatment of influenza A in a Phase I trial being conducted by MedImmune, the global biologics research and development arm of AstraZeneca.
The investigational antibody, which has broad influenza-neutralizing properties, was isolated by Humabs from human memory B cells and further optimized for higher potency by MedImmune. The resulting antibody, MEDI8852, is exclusively licensed to MedImmune. The Phase I trial (NCT02350751) is designed to evaluate the safety and pharmacokinetics of MEDI8852 in healthy adults.
“Our strong, ongoing partnership and collaborations with Humabs reflect our commitment to seeking out innovative new science and technologies, both within and outside our organization, that can help expedite and advance the development of new medicines for the prevention and treatment of challenging infectious diseases,” said JoAnn Suzich, Ph.D., vice president of infectious disease research and development, MedImmune.
MEDI8852 binds to a novel site in the hemagglutinin stem region that is shared in viruses from all 18 Influenza A subtypes. This region is highly conserved and is considered to be the “Achilles’ heel” of the virus.
“We identified the parental antibody leading to the MEDI8852 antibody only four years ago, demonstrating our ability to rapidly discover and develop human-derived antibodies,” said Dr. Davide Corti, CSO of Humabs BioMed.
Alcide Barberis, Humabs BioMed´s CEO, added, “The influenza A antibody currently under development by our partner MedImmune is just one example of our broad pipeline of therapeutic antibodies. Our antibodies against infectious diseases, cancer and inflammatory diseases are at various clinical and preclinical stages, with four of them already partnered to global pharma companies.”
Humabs discovers and develops antibodies directly derived from individuals whose immune systems have successfully responded to major diseases. While the concept of isolating antibodies directly from recovered patients is not new, Humabs has developed a unique, comprehensive scheme for screening and selecting naturally occurring antibodies. Its proprietary technology platforms use immortalized donor B cells or cultured plasma cells with unmatched, stable secretion rates. This allows Humabs to perform sophisticated functional screens to rapidly discover antibodies able to opsonize or kill bacteria, block viral entry, or eliminate virus-infected and cancer cells. Instead of looking for binders to predefined targets, the Humabs functional approach is target-agnostic. Within weeks, it leads to ultra-potent antibodies, which can subsequently be developed for therapeutic, diagnostic, or research purposes, including the identification of novel targets or vaccines.
About influenza
A Influenza A is a quickly evolving virus with 18 subtypes. The human antibody response is ineffective against most strains belonging to the H1 and H3 subtypes and therefore new vaccines are developed each year to match these strains. Humans are also susceptible to avian flu viruses such as H5N1, H7N9 and H9N2, and to H2, which caused the pandemic of 1957-58. It is estimated that millions of people are infected with influenza A viruses every year. Although the majority of infections are mild, those in high-risk groups, such as the elderly, immunocompromised patients or infants, may be at risk for serious complications or even death.
About Humabs BioMed SA
Humabs BioMed is a leading Swiss antibody therapeutics company that discovers and develops antibodies directly derived from individuals who have successfully overcome major diseases. These "winner antibodies" have already passed natural selection by the immune system in response to disease and can easily be developed for standardized therapeutic use. The company currently focuses on infectious diseases, but also has selected antibodies against inflammatory diseases and cancer in the pipeline.
Humabs BioMed has established a unique technology platform and know-how allowing the selection of monoclonal antibodies from immortalized human memory B cells, plasma cells or naïve B cells with unmatched, stable secretion rates. To date, the company has closed four major licensing deals with top pharmaceutical companies generating significant revenues. Two of these partnered programs are currently in clinical development.
Company Inquiries
Humabs BioMed SA
Alcide Barberis, PhD, President & CEO
Tel.: +41 91 825 63 80
E-mail: info@humabs.com
Media Inquiries
Akampion
Ines-Regina Buth / Dr. Ludger Weß, Managing Partners
Tel.: +49 30 23632768 or +49 40 88165964
E-mail: info@akampion.com
Help employers find you! Check out all the jobs and post your resume.
The investigational antibody, which has broad influenza-neutralizing properties, was isolated by Humabs from human memory B cells and further optimized for higher potency by MedImmune. The resulting antibody, MEDI8852, is exclusively licensed to MedImmune. The Phase I trial (NCT02350751) is designed to evaluate the safety and pharmacokinetics of MEDI8852 in healthy adults.
“Our strong, ongoing partnership and collaborations with Humabs reflect our commitment to seeking out innovative new science and technologies, both within and outside our organization, that can help expedite and advance the development of new medicines for the prevention and treatment of challenging infectious diseases,” said JoAnn Suzich, Ph.D., vice president of infectious disease research and development, MedImmune.
MEDI8852 binds to a novel site in the hemagglutinin stem region that is shared in viruses from all 18 Influenza A subtypes. This region is highly conserved and is considered to be the “Achilles’ heel” of the virus.
“We identified the parental antibody leading to the MEDI8852 antibody only four years ago, demonstrating our ability to rapidly discover and develop human-derived antibodies,” said Dr. Davide Corti, CSO of Humabs BioMed.
Alcide Barberis, Humabs BioMed´s CEO, added, “The influenza A antibody currently under development by our partner MedImmune is just one example of our broad pipeline of therapeutic antibodies. Our antibodies against infectious diseases, cancer and inflammatory diseases are at various clinical and preclinical stages, with four of them already partnered to global pharma companies.”
Humabs discovers and develops antibodies directly derived from individuals whose immune systems have successfully responded to major diseases. While the concept of isolating antibodies directly from recovered patients is not new, Humabs has developed a unique, comprehensive scheme for screening and selecting naturally occurring antibodies. Its proprietary technology platforms use immortalized donor B cells or cultured plasma cells with unmatched, stable secretion rates. This allows Humabs to perform sophisticated functional screens to rapidly discover antibodies able to opsonize or kill bacteria, block viral entry, or eliminate virus-infected and cancer cells. Instead of looking for binders to predefined targets, the Humabs functional approach is target-agnostic. Within weeks, it leads to ultra-potent antibodies, which can subsequently be developed for therapeutic, diagnostic, or research purposes, including the identification of novel targets or vaccines.
About influenza
A Influenza A is a quickly evolving virus with 18 subtypes. The human antibody response is ineffective against most strains belonging to the H1 and H3 subtypes and therefore new vaccines are developed each year to match these strains. Humans are also susceptible to avian flu viruses such as H5N1, H7N9 and H9N2, and to H2, which caused the pandemic of 1957-58. It is estimated that millions of people are infected with influenza A viruses every year. Although the majority of infections are mild, those in high-risk groups, such as the elderly, immunocompromised patients or infants, may be at risk for serious complications or even death.
About Humabs BioMed SA
Humabs BioMed is a leading Swiss antibody therapeutics company that discovers and develops antibodies directly derived from individuals who have successfully overcome major diseases. These "winner antibodies" have already passed natural selection by the immune system in response to disease and can easily be developed for standardized therapeutic use. The company currently focuses on infectious diseases, but also has selected antibodies against inflammatory diseases and cancer in the pipeline.
Humabs BioMed has established a unique technology platform and know-how allowing the selection of monoclonal antibodies from immortalized human memory B cells, plasma cells or naïve B cells with unmatched, stable secretion rates. To date, the company has closed four major licensing deals with top pharmaceutical companies generating significant revenues. Two of these partnered programs are currently in clinical development.
Company Inquiries
Humabs BioMed SA
Alcide Barberis, PhD, President & CEO
Tel.: +41 91 825 63 80
E-mail: info@humabs.com
Media Inquiries
Akampion
Ines-Regina Buth / Dr. Ludger Weß, Managing Partners
Tel.: +49 30 23632768 or +49 40 88165964
E-mail: info@akampion.com
Help employers find you! Check out all the jobs and post your resume.