X-BODY, TRL enter collaboration to identify therapeutic target epitopes

Oct 4 2011

X-BODY, Inc., a developer of monoclonal antibody therapeutics, today announced a partnership with Tanabe Research Laboratories U.S.A., Inc. (TRL). The companies will collaborate to identify therapeutic target epitopes and develop monospecific and/or bispecific antibodies to the identified therapeutic targets.

X-BODY has developed an extremely diverse human antibody library and screens it using the company's proprietary Protein Chain Reaction™. A unique feature of the platform is that it allows for screening against cell surface targets in their native state on live cells or purified target proteins. X-BODY's deep sequencing hit analysis identifies and characterizes rare antibodies with the desired therapeutic properties.

Under the terms of the Agreement between TRL and X-BODY, X-BODY will screen its proprietary libraries against target cells of therapeutic interest to TRL to identify tissue specific epitopes and human antibody therapeutic candidates. TRL will fund the collaboration. TRL has the option to negotiate rights to the antibodies discovered in the collaboration for further pre-clinical research, clinical development, and commercialization.

Roland Newman, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer of TRL, commented, "X-Body's technology represents a major step forward in the ability to rapidly generate thousands of human antibodies against functionally relevant targets. The power and versatility of X-Body's platform in generating antibodies against targets that are inaccessible by conventional techniques offers new and exciting prospects. We are looking forward to a positive and productive relationship with X-Body."

"The TRL team is focused on developing innovative biologics targeting autoimmune diseases and X-BODY is excited about collaborating with TRL to develop antibody therapeutics," said Tod Woolf, Ph.D., Chief Business Officer of X-BODY. "We are gratified to announce this third partnership since the public launch of our platform at IBC's Antibody Engineering Conference last December," added Dr. Woolf.

SOURCE X-BODY BioSciences