Anaptys Biosciences, Inc. Acquires Key Intellectual Property for Novel Antibody Discovery and Protein Optimization Platform

LA JOLLA, Calif., May 15 /PRNewswire/ -- Anaptys Biosciences, Inc., a privately-held biopharmaceutical product company, today announced it has obtained exclusive licenses to complementary SHM technologies from the UK Medical Research Council (MRC) and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University (AECOM) in Bronx, NY. SHM, or somatic hypermutation, is the natural process our bodies use for generating antibody diversity to fight disease. Anaptys' Omnitope-SHM(TM) System utilizes the key components of SHM to enable the rapid variation and functional selection of evolved proteins with enhanced bioactivities.

"The MRC and AECOM technologies augment Anaptys' in-house development of proprietary vectors and methods for creating antibodies and other proteins," said William Boyle, Ph.D., co-founder, president and chief scientific officer of Anaptys. "With our Omnitope-SHM(TM) System, we can tap into the sequence variations brought about by SHM to rapidly and efficiently discover and optimize antibodies for a diverse set of disease targets."

"The MRC and AECOM have been sources of important innovations relevant to the medical industry. Through our exclusive licenses, we solidify Anaptys' leadership in the use of SHM to address the growing need in the biopharmaceutical industry for new and more powerful approaches to antibody discovery and protein optimization," said Tom Smart, chairman and chief executive officer of Anaptys. "This system, with its distinct technical and business advantages, provides Anaptys with a spectrum of product and partnering possibilities. Already, we've begun to harness the platform to build Anaptys' internal product pipeline and advance one of our drug programs toward clinical candidate selection."

About Anaptys Biosciences

Anaptys is a privately-held biopharmaceutical product company and the leader in the use of somatic hypermutation (SHM) for antibody discovery and protein optimization. The company's proprietary Omnitope-SHM(TM) System provides a robust platform for evolving and selecting optimized antibodies directed at validated, new, and previously intractable targets. This discovery platform leverages SHM, a natural process for generating antibody diversity, to rapidly and functionally select evolved proteins with enhanced bioactivities. Anaptys is pursuing multiple drug development programs with an initial focus on building a franchise of biologically synergistic product candidates. For more information, visit the company's web site at www.anaptysbio.com.

About MRC

The Medical Research Council is dedicated to improving human health through excellent science. It invests on behalf of the UK taxpayer. Its work ranges from molecular level science to public health research, carried out in universities, hospitals and a network of its own units and institutes. The MRC liaises with the Health Departments, the National Health Service and industry to take account of the public's needs. The results have led to some of the most significant discoveries in medical science and benefited the health and wealth of millions of people in the UK and around the world. For more information, visit www.mrc.ac.uk.

About AECOM

The Albert Einstein College of Medicine is one of the nation's premier centers for research, medical education and clinical investigation. It consistently ranks among the nation's leaders in basic research support from the National Institutes of Health. Einstein has earned "Center of Excellence" designation from the NIH in six major biomedical disciplines -- brain research, cancer, diabetes, liver disease, AIDS and sickle-cell disease -- as well as for its Bronx Center to Reduce and Eliminate Ethnic and Racial Health Disparities. During the past five decades, The College's student body has grown to more than 1,000, including students at the medical school, at its Sue Golding Graduate Division of Medical Sciences, and at its Belfer Institute for Advanced Biomedical Studies. More than 7,500 Einstein alumni serve the nation as physicians, biomedical researchers and medical educators.

Anaptys Biosciences, Inc.

CONTACT: Bob Giargiari of GPR GLOBAL, +1-619-884-4410, for AnaptysBiosciences, Inc.

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