Keele, UK and Jerusalem, Israel: 11 May, 2009, Cobra Biomanufacturing Plc (AIM: CBF), the international manufacturer of biopharmaceuticals, and KAHR Medical Ltd., a Hadasit-Bio-Holdings (HBL, TASE: HDST) portfolio company that develops novel drugs for the treatment of autoimmune diseases, announced today a partnership agreement.
Under the terms of the agreement, Cobra will advance KAHR Medical’s Trans Signal Converter Protein (“TSCP”) technology using Cobra’s maxXpress service and recombinant protein production expertise. More specifically, Cobra will develop and manufacture bulk quantities of KAHR’s TSCP proteins for preclinical and future clinical testing. Currently, two recombinant proteins, KAHR-101 and KAHR-102 are being tested in preclinical studies as potential treatments for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and psoriasis. Cobra has already developed a purification process for KAHR-101 and batches have already been produced for preclinical testing.
Simon Saxby, CEO of Cobra Biomanufacturing Plc said, “We are delighted that KAHR has chosen Cobra to help develop its TSCP technology. Cobra’s maxXpress service and recombinant protein expertise enable it to provide the required tools and solutions necessary for companies looking to start on the road to clinical trials and market supply. Also, Israel has a rapidly expanding biotech industry and we are very pleased to be establishing a very good relationship there.”
Dr. Noam Shani, CEO of KAHR Medical said, “We have been working together with Cobra for about 18 months on KAHR-101 and KAHR-102 and they have done great work developing a production process for KAHR-101. We are looking forward to a long and successful association.”
