CAMBRIDGE, UK – 14 July 2016 – F-star, a biopharmaceutical company developing novel bispecific antibodies with a focus on immuno-oncology, today announced the extension of a multi-year collaboration and funding arrangement with the newly opened Christian Doppler (CD) Laboratory for Innovative Immunotherapeutics at BOKU, the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences in Vienna.
The collaboration allows F-star to explore additional applications of its powerful Modular Antibody TechnologyTM with options to intellectual property arising from work in the lab during this period. The collaboration is jointly funded by the BMWFW (Austrian Federal Ministry of Science, Research and Economy) and F-star Biotechnology Ltd.
John Haurum, Chief Executive Officer of F-star, commented: “F-star is pleased to be collaborating with the Christian Doppler Laboratory for Innovative Immunotherapeutics and we look forward to a successful and highly productive working relationship with its scientists. This partnership also allows us to maintain our close links with the scientists at BOKU who discovered F-star’s Modular Antibody Technology.”
The CD Laboratory and F-star seek to progress the understanding of the design, development and unique biology of antibody and antibody-based therapeutics by harnessing the ability of the human immune system to attack diseased cells, such as cancer cells that usually remain undetected. A first approach will be to enable the immune system to recognise and differentiate between cancer and healthy cells then trigger the targeted death of the malignant cells. Another scope investigated will be to enhance the innate disease targeting ability of the immune system by blocking one of the tumour’s defence mechanisms.
Dr. Gordana Wozniak-Knopp, Head of the CD Laboratory for Innovative Immunotherapeutics, said: “The CD Laboratory for Innovative Immunotherapies is proud to be part of a public-private partnership to advance the bioengineering of antibodies and other biologics for immunotherapy which in future is expected to include product combinations and unique biology, requiring innovative solutions. As a partner F-star has an important role in shaping the commercial and entrepreneurial success of our projects in a fast-growing field of enormous potential benefit to patients worldwide.”
The collaboration allows F-star to explore additional applications of its powerful Modular Antibody TechnologyTM with options to intellectual property arising from work in the lab during this period. The collaboration is jointly funded by the BMWFW (Austrian Federal Ministry of Science, Research and Economy) and F-star Biotechnology Ltd.
John Haurum, Chief Executive Officer of F-star, commented: “F-star is pleased to be collaborating with the Christian Doppler Laboratory for Innovative Immunotherapeutics and we look forward to a successful and highly productive working relationship with its scientists. This partnership also allows us to maintain our close links with the scientists at BOKU who discovered F-star’s Modular Antibody Technology.”
The CD Laboratory and F-star seek to progress the understanding of the design, development and unique biology of antibody and antibody-based therapeutics by harnessing the ability of the human immune system to attack diseased cells, such as cancer cells that usually remain undetected. A first approach will be to enable the immune system to recognise and differentiate between cancer and healthy cells then trigger the targeted death of the malignant cells. Another scope investigated will be to enhance the innate disease targeting ability of the immune system by blocking one of the tumour’s defence mechanisms.
Dr. Gordana Wozniak-Knopp, Head of the CD Laboratory for Innovative Immunotherapeutics, said: “The CD Laboratory for Innovative Immunotherapies is proud to be part of a public-private partnership to advance the bioengineering of antibodies and other biologics for immunotherapy which in future is expected to include product combinations and unique biology, requiring innovative solutions. As a partner F-star has an important role in shaping the commercial and entrepreneurial success of our projects in a fast-growing field of enormous potential benefit to patients worldwide.”
