Cambridge UK, 8th April 2009 - Antitope Ltd. (“Antitope”) today announced a research agreement with NKT Therapeutics Inc (“NKT”) for the generation of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies. Under the Agreement, Antitope will apply its proprietary Composite Human AntibodyTM technology for the generation of humanized antibodies for treatment of asthma and other chronic diseases.
“We are delighted to be working with NKT who we recognize as leaders in the biology and therapeutic applications of modulating Natural Killer T cells,” said Dr Matthew Baker, Chief Scientific Officer and co-founder of Antitope Limited. “This partnership utilizes Antitope’s expertise in engineering humanized antibodies devoid of T cell epitopes and complement NKT’s innovations in developing novel therapeutics based on monoclonal antibodies targeting Natural Killer T cells.”
“We greatly appreciate working with Antitope, with their deep pool of talent and experience in antibody engineering” said Dr Alem Truneh, Chief Scientific Officer and co-founder of NKT Therapeutics.
About Antitope
Antitope Ltd. is a privately-held Cambridge UK-based biotechnology company specializing in immunogenicity testing and the engineering of therapeutic antibodies/proteins with reduced immunogenicity. Antitope’s proprietary Composite Human Antibody technology provides a novel solution to the detection and removal of T cell epitopes in antibodies/proteins through proprietary humanization and DeImmunisation technologies. Antitope has established multiple commercial relationships with leading biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies. For further information on Antitope visit http://www.antitope.co.uk/ or contact:
Dr Neil Butt
Business Development Director, Antitope Ltd.
Tel: +44 (0)1223 496190
Email: info@antitope.co.uk
About NKT Therapeutics Inc.
NKT Therapeutics, Inc. is a privately held biotechnology company focused on developing therapeutics based on unique immune cells called natural killer T (NKT) cells. The company’s mission is to use its expertise to develop a pipeline of first-in-class NKT-based therapeutics to treat cancer, infectious diseases, autoimmune diseases, asthma and dermatitis. For more information on the company, please visit http://www.nktrx.com/.
