arGEN-X collaborates with Bayer Pharma for development of therapeutic antibodies

May 28 2014

arGEN-X, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on creating and developing differentiated therapeutic antibodies for the treatment of cancer and severe autoimmune diseases, announced today the initiation of a collaboration with Bayer Pharma AG (Bayer), leveraging arGEN-X's SIMPLE Antibody™ technology for the discovery and development of therapeutic antibodies. The collaboration centers on a novel approach to addressing complex targets across multiple therapeutic areas that are often intractable by existing antibody platforms.

"We are delighted that Bayer, with its long-standing expertise in drug development, will make use of the SIMPLE Antibody™ platform. As a company, we are dedicated to forming elite partnerships and feel that with this new collaboration, we have firmly established SIMPLE Antibody™ as an innovative solution to reaching intractable targets and tackling unmet needs in antibody discovery," said Tim Van Hauwermeiren, Chief Executive Officer of arGEN-X. "We are confident that by building on our proprietary capabilities in DNA immunization and the unique immune system of the llama, we have developed a novel platform that will create potential new product opportunities."

With this collaboration, arGEN-X will apply its SIMPLE Antibody™ technology to multiple targets submitted by Bayer. The parties will work together to validate human antibody leads in disease-relevant models, with Bayer being responsible for further preclinical and clinical development and commercialization of therapeutic antibody products. Under the terms of the Agreement, Bayer will pay arGEN-X an upfront technology access fee, research support and technical success-based milestones. Bayer will also pay clinical, regulatory and product sales-based milestones as antibody programs progress through clinical development and registration.

"We look forward to collaborating with arGEN-X and exploring the potential of SIMPLE Antibody™ technology to complement Bayer's efforts in the discovery and development of first-in-class therapeutic antibodies," said Dr. Harald Dinter, Head of Global Biologics at Bayer Pharma AG.

Source: arGEN-X