Tetragenetics, Inc. Launches Partnership Program For Discovery And Development Of Therapeutic Monoclonal Antibodies

argenx, Crystal Bioscience, and Sevion Therapeutics First to Collaborate

ARLINGTON, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Tetragenetics Inc., an emerging biotechnology company engaged in the expression of ion channel drug targets, announced today a new partnership program for the discovery and development of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) directed against well-known ion channel drug targets implicated in a wide range of disease states –such as pain and autoimmune disorders. Founding partners participating in the program include: argenx, Crystal Bioscience and Sevion Therapeutics.

“This is an exciting new partnership for us”

The program combines Tetragenetics’ unique and proprietary antigen production capabilities with each partner’s novel antibody discovery platform. This approach incorporates broad phylogenetic diversity to ensure the highest probability of success and marks an important shift in Tetragenetics’ business model to develop its own pipeline of pre-clinical antibody assets.

Using Tetragenetics’ recombinant human ion channels for both immunization and mAb screening, argenx will conduct four discovery programs using llamas, Crystal Bioscience four programs using chickens, and Sevion Therapeutics three programs using cows. Target ion channels in these programs include Nav1.7, Nav1.8, Kv1.3, as well as others.

Tim Van Hauwermeiren, CEO, of argenx said, “Our SIMPLE Antibody^TM platform has the unique ability to generate highly diverse antibodies with unparalleled epitope coverage and human composition. SIMPLE Antibody^TM delivers ultra-potent antibodies against highly conserved and novel targets previously believed to be intractable. Combining our platform with Tetragenetics’ unique antigen expression system has exciting potential to accelerate antibody drug discovery and development.”

“We are thrilled to be participating in Tetragenetics’ new program for antibody discovery noted Dr. Rob Etches, CEO, of Crystal Bioscience. Birds diverged from mammals approximately 300 million years ago, providing a unique advantage today over other animal systems used for antibody discovery. Chickens are more likely to respond to human antigens as foreign matter with a robust antibody response and we look forward to demonstrating this with Tetragenetics’ recombinant proteins.”

“This is an exciting new partnership for us” said David Rector, CEO of Sevion Therapeutics. “We are excited to combine the unique antigen expression system from Tetragenetics with our novel bovine antibody discovery platform.”

Doug Kahn CEO, of Tetragenetics added, “We’ve identified some highly sought after, but challenging drug targets and we are pleased to have these three initial partners pursuing independent mAb discovery programs against them. We believe this partnership program, with its phylogenetic diversity, has great potential for producing human drugs against these well-validated targets. The combination of Tetragenetics’ unique proteins and our partners’ novel antibody discovery platforms is powerful and unprecedented in our industry.”

About Tetragenetics: Tetragenetics has developed proprietary technology (TetraExpress™) that enables the rapid production of properly folded and functional ion channel proteins in membrane preparations and in purified form for use in antibody discovery and small molecule screening programs. The company uses these recombinant proteins to discover and develop new drugs for ion channel related autoimmune diseases and pain management. For more information, please visit: www.tetragenetics.com.

About argenx: argenx combines the diversity of the llama immune system with antibody engineering to advance a clinical pipeline to treat patients with cancer and autoimmune diseases. Our platforms allow us to unlock novel and complex targets and develop antibody-based drugs designed for greater efficacy and longer duration of effect. The strength of our team, our deep understanding of the biology, and our committed collaborations with industry leaders contribute to the success of our journey. For more information, please visit: www.argenx.com

argenx is listed on the Euronext Brussels exchange under the symbol ARGX.

About Crystal Bioscience: Crystal Bioscience was founded in 2008 with the objective of developing technology to quickly access novel antibodies with therapeutic potential. In a few months, the vision became a technology that allows us to cover the maximum epitope space with biologically-active, affinity-matured antibodies. The core of our antibody discovery platform is a novel screening technology applied to the unique library of antibodies generated by the humoral immune system in immunized chickens.

About Sevion Therapeutics: Sevion Therapeutics is a biopharmaceutical company building and developing a portfolio of innovative therapeutics, from both internal discovery and acquisition, for the treatment of cancer and immunological diseases. The Company’s product candidates are derived from multiple key proprietary technology platforms: cell-based arrayed antibody discovery, ultralong antibody scaffolds and Chimerasome nanocages. Sevion has leveraged these technologies to build a pipeline of innovative product candidates. For more information, please visit SevionTherapeutics.com.