Basel, Switzerland, 24th May, 2011: 4-Antibody AG today announced the signing of a multi-target research alliance with the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research (LICR). Under the terms of the deal, the focus of the research and clinical development alliance will be on a series of molecular targets which are important in the suppression of the immune response in cancer. Financial details were not disclosed.
4-Antibody will use its high throughput Retrocyte Display® technology platform to generate and produce fully human therapeutic antibodies against a series of disease targets with key roles in the suppression of immune responses in cancer patients. The Ludwig Institute will then take these antibody drugs into early clinical testing with the specific clinical goal of demonstrating the feasibility of reversing immunosuppression in cancer. At the point at which the programmes have achieved agreed technical milestones, 4-Antibody will seek pharmaceutical partnerships for the emerging product opportunities.
Dr Robert Burns, CEO of 4-Antibody, commented:
“For nearly three decades the Ludwig Institute has focused its worldwide clinical research efforts in cancer immunology and has built an extraordinary expertise in the monitoring of patient immunological responses in cancer immunotherapy settings. The concept of reversing tolerance in cancer has been clinically validated with the recent approval of an anti-CTLA4 antibody. We intend to target parallel pathways in our programme with LICR through its research branch at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York where we expect eventual clinical trials to take place.”
Andrew Simpson, PhD, LICR’s Scientific Director, added:
“The Ludwig Institute has a long history of conducting innovative clinical research in the field of cancer immunotherapy. The combination of 4-Antibody’s high throughput Retrocyte Display® technology and its ability to rapidly generate panels of novel fully human full length therapeutic antibodies will speed our research into the identification of clinical strategies to selective interfere with the immunomodulatory mechanisms that lie at the heart of tumours’ ability to evade otherwise effective immune responses – a major goal for the improved treatment of cancer.”
About 4-Antibody AG
4-Antibody is a biopharmaceutical company with a powerful fully-human antibody drug-discovery technology platform which is generating an emerging pipeline of antibody therapeutics. The proprietary discovery engine is the in-vitro Retrocyte Display® technology, a fast and highly efficient source of antibody drug candidates. Retrocyte Display® generates high quality therapeutic antibody drug candidates quickly using a rapid, high-throughput, flow cytometry approach incorporating full-length IgG format human antibody libraries expressed in mammalian B cells (the cell designed by nature for optimal antibody display). This in vitro process is supported by the in vivo HU-PAC® filter used to select only those antibody product candidates with the most desirable drug characteristics. 4-Antibody provides access to its technologies to select pharmaceutical R&D collaborators and is also generating an in-house pipeline of antibody drugs. The Company’s lead development product is an anti-cytomegalovirus antibody drug. 4-Antibody is a private company with strong, commercially-experienced leadership located in Basel, Switzerland and Jena, Germany. For more information please visit: www.4-antibody.com
About LICR
The Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research Ltd is a non-profit research organization committed to improving the control of cancer through integrated laboratory and clinical research and novel therapeutic strategies based on the emerging understanding of cancer. The Institute translates these strategies into applications for human benefit by coupling discoveries from its basic laboratory research and renowned scientists with strong intellectual property positions, clinical development expertise and the conduct of Institute-sponsored, GCP compliant clinical trials. The core of the Institute is concentrated at ten research locations two each in Australia, Sweden and the USA, and one each in Belgium, Brazil, Switzerland and the UK. Each research site is led by a Director who is a Member scientist of the Institute and part of the management team.
Further Information:
Dr Robert Burns
CEO
4-Antibody AG
t: +41 61 697 1351
e: robert.burns@4-antibody.com
Dr Douglas Pretsell
Associate Partner
College Hill
t: +44 20 7866 7868
e: douglas.pretsell@collegehill.com
