monoclonal antibody

Micromet's blinatumomab shows promise in Phase I

Maureen Martino — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 11:23:52 -0400

It may be an early-stage study, but Micromet's antibody drug blinatumomab is showing promise for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma patients. In a Phase I study, all seven participants responded to the drug, demonstrating tumor regression and in some cases, complete remission. "We observed tumor regression in patients at serum levels of blinatumomab, which are approximately five orders of magnitude lower than serum levels needed by conventional monoclonal antibodies for achieving a tumor regression in this disease," said Micromet's CSO Patrick Baeuerle.

Blinatumomab is an antibody therapy that activates a patient's T cells to seek out and destroy cancer cells. Micromet has an additional blinatumomab trial in the clinic--a Phase II trial for acute lymphoblastic leukemia. The company is developing blinatumomab with MedImmune, which was bought out by AstraZeneca in 2007. The study was published in the journal Science

- read Micromet's release

EUSA Pharma spins off assets as it narrows focus

Thu, 01 May 2008 06:59:56 -0400

The transatlantic EUSA Pharma has spun off its monoclonal antibody research operation along with a development program for leukemia as it narrows its focus to late-stage drug development and marketing. France's International Drug Development snared the antibody operation while the Alize Pharma Group snagged the recombinant L-asparaginase therapeutic research program for acute lymphoblastic leukemia. EUSA's antibody research business is based in Dardilly, France, and includes a library of approximately 600 murine antibodies.

Bryan Morton, chief executive of EUSA Pharma said: "As we continue to rapidly build our business around our commercial infrastructure in the US and Europe, we are creating the opportunity to compete effectively with major players as an attractive partner for companies seeking specialist transatlantic commercialization and late-stage development expertise in the oncology, pain control and critical care areas."

- read EUSA's release for more information

ALSO NOTED: FDA approves UCB's Cimzia; MacroChem acquires Virium; and much more...

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 06:59:50 -0400

> The FDA has approved UCB's monoclonal antibody Cimzia for the treatment of moderate to severe Crohn's disease. Cimzia's approval was delayed last year when the FDA demanded that UCB conduct another trial of the drug. UCB release

> New York-based Emiliem has signed a licensing agreement with the NIH for the worldwide rights to develop and commercialize a series of compounds that modulate key biological pathways known to be important in the progression of cancer and other proliferative and inflammatory diseases. Emiliem release

> MacroChem has acquired Virium Pharmaceuticals and will issue 23 million shares of common stock to Virium shareholders. Virium has a number of clinical-stage oncology drug candidates. MacroChem release

> FDA Commissioner Andy von Eschenbach found himself in the hot seat again as Congress grilled him about foreign oversight and scolded him for safety lapses that occurred on his watch. Report

> Though drugmakers have been reporting increases to their bottom lines, investors are looking past the foreign-currency gains and one-time earnings boosts to the fundamental problems the industry faces. Report

> Now that its Pristiq antidepressant is finally approved, Wyeth is offering a cut-rate price to woo patients over from Effexor XR. Wyeth report

And Finally... By one estimate, CROs will see their contract research operations swell from $7 billion in 2006 to $19 billion in 2013 as more and more biotech companies turn to them to manage drug trials. But as the work of the CROs grows, so do concerns over the quality of the research work they manage. CRO report

Stromedix gets $25M for mAb work

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 06:59:56 -0400

Cambridge, MA-based Stromedix has landed $25 million in a Series B round of venture capital. The company's lead drug is STX-100, a humanized monoclonal antibody which Stromedix is developing for chronic allograft dysfunction, a fibrotic condition that is a leading cause of graft loss in kidney transplant patients. There are no approved therapies for the condition. A Phase I trial of the drug kicked off earlier this year. The round was led by New Leaf Venture Partners; Bessemer Venture Partners, Red Abbey Venture Partners, Atlas Venture, Frazier Healthcare Ventures also participated.

- check out this press release

Related Article:
MAbs are hottest segment of biotech industry. Report

Inotek closes facilities, shakes up executive staff

Tue, 08 Apr 2008 06:59:55 -0400

There's a shakeup under way at Inotek. The Beverly, MA-based developer says it is closing several international sites and a pilot manufacturing facility in Israel as it focuses all of its efforts on its two main programs and two preclinical programs. Inotek's collaboration with Genentech regarding the discovery and development of PARP inhibitors will end in April. Inotek will obtain rights to all assets and information related to the PARP inhibitor program from Genentech, including all compounds and intellectual property that were discovered or developed by either Inotek or Genentech within the collaboration. And the shakeup is also causing changes in its executive group that includes the appointment of Dr. Michael Loberg, an Inotek board member since 2004, as acting president and CEO.

Inotek has entered Phase I with INO-4885 for various acute, peroxynitrite-mediated hospital conditions and has filed an IND for its selective Adenosine 1 agonist, INO-8875 that is being developed for Glaucoma. Inotek also has a monoclonal antibody program in preclinical development, targeting the flagellin/TLR5 pathway associated with inflammatory bowel disease and a series of preclinical PARP inhibitors with applications in cancer, ophthalmology and various diseases involving reperfusion injury.

- read the press release for more information

Related Articles:
Inotek raises $19.3M. Report
Inotek inks $625M licensing deal on PARP. Report
Inotek closes second round with additional $10M. Report

Shareholders stymie VaxGen, Raven merger

Fri, 28 Mar 2008 07:59:57 -0400

VaxGen and Raven Biotechnologies are backing out of their proposed merger after "stronger than anticipated opposition" from shareholders. The companies say that while they initially thought shareholders would go for the deal, it became apparent that they'd reject the plan. VaxGen develops drugs for the treatment and prevention of infectious disease, and Raven develops monoclonal antibody (MAb) therapeutics for cancer. Company officials hoped that the merger would put them at the forefront of the market for MAb cancer treatments.

"We are obviously very disappointed that the proposed merger with Raven was not approved by our stockholders," said James P. Panek, VaxGen President and CEO. "...[I]t has become quite clear that there is sufficient opposition, such that this merger will not be approved." The merger rejection is more bad news for VaxGen, which has been through three rounds of layoffs since the federal government canceled its $877 million anthrax vaccine contract.

- check out this release

Related Articles:
Momentum builds for VaxGen, Raven merger. Report
VaxGen slashes staff--again. Report

Genitope suspends cancer work, looks to alternatives

Tue, 11 Mar 2008 07:59:54 -0400

After reviewing a failed late-stage trial of MyVax for Hodgkins lymphoma, Genitope has decided to suspend development work and focus on alternatives like its antibody program. MyVax had already failed to hit a primary endpoint with no significant difference in progression-free survival of patients. But researchers had been enthusiastic about finding a positive response among patients who mounted a positive immune response to the tumor-specific target and those who did not.

"We are disappointed that we will not be able to make MyVax personalized immunotherapy available to patients with follicular non-Hodgkin's lymphoma," said CEO Dan Denney. "We firmly believe that MyVax personalized immunotherapy has the potential to safely induce long-term remissions, possibly including life-long remissions... However, we recognize that the costs and time required for further clinical development of MyVax personalized immunotherapy are prohibitive at this time, and we thus intend to focus our efforts on the development of our monoclonal antibody program."

- check out Genitope's release
- read the report from the East Bay Business Journal

Related Articles:
Genitope's MyVax misses Phase III endpoint. Report
Genitope shares slip after committee review. Report
Big Pharma takes an interest in cancer vaccines. Report

Morphotek licenses anti-cancer antibody

Thu, 06 Mar 2008 06:59:57 -0500

Morphotek has inked a deal with Human Monoclonals International to get rights to a human monoclonal IgM antibody that is specific to a cancer cell surface antigen. The company hopes to develop a lead therapeutic MAb and high-titer cell lines suitable for scalable manufacturing. Morphotek, which was acquired by Eisai last year, has a pipeline of antibodies in development for cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, and infectious disease. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

"This agreement provides yet another important addition to our therapeutic antibody portfolio," said Nicholas Nicolaides, Ph.D., Morphotek's president and CEO. "Safety data and positive clinical observations from an exploratory Phase I clinical trial in patients with metastatic melanoma have been reported. Our antibody optimization and development expertise will enable the further development of this promising antibody and clinical proof-of-concept studies in more types of cancer."

- check out the release

Related Articles:
Eisai acquires Morphotek in $325M deal. Report
Morphotek gains $40M in fourth venture round. Report

SPOTLIGHT: Humira approved for juvenile RA

Fri, 22 Feb 2008 06:59:53 -0500

Humira approved for juvenile RA
The FDA has approved Abbott's Humira as a treatment for juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. This marks the sixth approved indication for Abbott's monoclonal antibody. Release

Sanofi to pay $500M for Dyax antibody program

Tue, 12 Feb 2008 06:59:58 -0500

Sanofi-Aventis has committed up to $500 million for the worldwide rights to Dyax's DX-2240 human monoclonal antibody product. Sanofi also inked a nonexclusive license to Dyax's proprietary antibody phage display technology. Dyax pockets $25 million under the deal this year. Sanofi will be responsible for the ongoing development, commercialization and consolidation of sales of DX-2240. Dyax is retaining co-development and profit sharing rights "for certain other future antibody product candidates discovered by Sanofi-Aventis." DX-2240 is a fully human monoclonal antibody that targets the Tie-1 receptor on tumor blood vessels. In preclinical animal models, DX-2240 has demonstrated activity against a range of solid tumor types.

"These strategic agreements validate Dyax's capabilities to successfully discover novel antibody drug candidates utilizing our proprietary phage display technology and advance the resulting drug candidates into development," commented Henry E. Blair, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Dyax.

- check out the press release

ALSO: Take a look at Sanofi's pipeline. Report

Related Articles:
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Sanofi underscores pipeline advances, setbacks. Report
Dyax shares skyrocket on successful Phase III. Report
Dyax pockets $30M in revenue deal. Report

Taligen raises a whopping $65M

Fri, 01 Feb 2008 06:59:57 -0500

Talk about big VC deals. Aurora, CO-based Taligen Therapeutics said today that it's expecting to receive up to $65 million in Series B financing. Top-tier investors Alta Partners and Clarus Ventures led the round, with participation from existing investors, including Sanderling Ventures, Tango and High Country.

Taligen has two lead products. The first, TA106, is a Fab fragment of a monoclonal antibody which inhibits complement factor B. TA106 will be used as a local therapy of inflammatory diseases such as asthma and macular degeneration. Taligen is also developing compounds which are intended to deliver complement inhibitors such as Factor H to sites where complement activation is occurring and driving inflammation. Both programs are in the preclinical stages of development.

"The progress made since our original investment in 2005 now allows us to develop multiple products to control the alternative pathway of complement activation. With this additional funding, we expect to move into clinical development with all of our lead candidates," said Timothy Mills, PhD, Chairman of the Board of Taligen.

- here's the release on the round

ALSO: The top 20 biotech VC deals of 2007. Special Report

Related Article:
MAbs are hottest segment of biotech industry. Report

GSK offers $1.4B to license OncoMed therapies

Mon, 10 Dec 2007 06:59:57 -0500

Trend spotter alert: GlaxoSmithKline's newly announced $1.4 billion partnership pact with OncoMed delivers fresh evidence of just how hot antibodies and the cancer field are these days. OncoMed gets an upfront fee (no figure was given) with an equity investment from GSK along with a string of prospective milestone paydays. Glaxo gains the right to license four cancer therapies from OncoMed that treat metastatic cancer. Once proof-of-concept data is in hand, Glaxo intends to take over development work. OncoMed's lead antibody product candidate, OMP-21M18, a monoclonal antibody, is scheduled to enter the clinic in 2008.

"We believe that targeting cancer stem cells has the potential to change the paradigm of how oncology patients are treated and we are very excited to be working with OncoMed to develop novel and innovative medicines in this regard," said Hugh Cowley, M.D., senior vice president and head of Glaxo's Center of Excellence for External Drug Discovery.

- and here's the release
- check out the report from Hemscott

ALSO: GlaxoSmithKline and Galapagos have forged a multi-year strategic alliance to develop novel anti-infective drug candidates. Release

Related Articles:
MAbs are hottest segment of biotech industry. Report
Investors: Biologics are 'hot' right now. Report
Wyeth takes another look at antibody pact. Report
OncoMed snares $13.9M in first round. Report

ALSO NOTED: iCardiac gains venture funds; Sirtris reports rising R&D expenses; Nanogen slashes staff; and much more...

Tue, 13 Nov 2007 06:59:50 -0500

> iCardiac Technologies, which has advanced new technology to assess drug safety, has announced a second round of venture capital but is staying mum about just how much money it is getting. Release

> Sirtris says that rising R&D costs have pushed up losses at the company. Report

> Nanogen, a diagnostics company, is closing its microarray business and slashing 20 percent of its staff. Report

> Scientists at Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation are reporting success in advancing an experimental, preclinical vaccine that can prevent or slow Alzheimer's. Report

> Roche has signed a licensing pact for hepatitis C immunodiagnostics with Novartis and Ortho-Clinical Diagnostics, which is owned by J&J. Roche will gain royalties and three agreed to settle patent litigation. Report

> The FDA has put Crucell's program for a rabies monoclonal antibody cocktail on the agency's fast track. Release

> Big Pharma is lobbying hard to stop legislation aimed at getting generics into patients' hands more quickly. Report

> Put a Genentech executive and a bunch of angry ophthalmologists in the same room, and what do you get? Fireworks. Report

> Just why are U.S. attorneys interested in Amgen? That's the question, now that news is emerging that the feds have subpoenaed documents. Report

And Finally... Pollution from marine shipping causes approximately 60,000 premature cardiopulmonary and lung cancer deaths around the world each year, according to a new report. Release

ALSO NOTED: University spins off drug delivery company; Millennium Phase II meets goal; Will the FDA get money to flex muscles?

Wed, 07 Nov 2007 06:59:50 -0500

> The University of Leuven has spun off Formac Pharmaceuticals, banking on new drug delivery technology to tackle poorly soluble molecules. Release | Report

> A Phase II trial of Millennium Pharmaceuticals' MLN1202 met its primary endpoint of reducing C-reactive protein levels in patients at high-risk for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. MLN1202 is a novel, humanized monoclonal antibody. Release

> Sure enough, President Bush announced yesterday that he'd like to pump up the power at the FDA, but said not a word on increased funding for the effort. Report

> Norway's SantoSolve raised $7 million in a new venture round, enough money to push its lead pain therapy, 2PX, into a late stage study. Release

> Biovail has acquired marketing rights to two early stage therapies from Pharma Pass II. Report

> Kiadis Pharma's lead product, ATIR, has been granted orphan drug designation by the FDA as a therapy for immune reconstitution and prevention of Graft versus Host Disease (GvHD) following allogeneic bone marrow transplantation. ATIR is currently in phase I/II clinical studies and anticipated to enter clinical phase III studies in 2008. Release

> Apitope Technology has completed dosing six multiple sclerosis patients in a Phase I/IIa trial of ATX-MS-1467. The therapeutic vaccine was found to be safe and well tolerated. Release

> A federal judge dealt a blow to Johnson & Johnson's trademark-infringement suit against the American Red Cross. Report

> Neural stem cells were used to stimulate the learning and memory abilities of mice engineered to mimic the severe disabilities produced by Alzheimer's and stroke. Report

> A chemistry professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champagne says that an iron-based catalyst she developed with a colleague could speed the drug delivery and manufacturing process. Report

And Finally... Here's a little secret about Eli Lilly's U.S. president Deidre Connelly (photo): She likes to go undercover. Report

Emerging Drug Developer: Tolerx

Fri, 26 Oct 2007 06:59:59 -0400

Emerging Drug Developer: Tolerx

Holding promising Phase II data for a monoclonal antibody lined up for a late-stage race to the FDA, Tolerx found itself in the sweet spot of biotech deal making. And GlaxoSmithKline was just one of a number of companies to make a bid for it. For Tolerx CEO Douglas Ringler, the $760 million deal they struck gives the company enough cash to make it all the way through to a BLA. But there's little time for relaxation. Tolerx is engaged in a competitive race to get its CD3 program all the way to the FDA. And it plans to be first. Article

GSK, Tolerx forge $760M development pact

Tue, 23 Oct 2007 06:59:58 -0400

Tolerx has scored a Big Pharma partner in its race to develop a monoclonal antibody (MAb) that may protect people from autoimmune disease. Its chief competitor in the race is MacroGenics, which just days ago announced its licensing deal with Eli Lilly for teplizumab. Both companies are advancing an anti-CD3 monoclonal antibody. Tolerx says that its MAb binds to the CD3 receptor on T cells, blocking a function of T-effector cells that cause autoimmune disease. The biotech has struck its deal with GlaxoSmithKline right at the sweet spot in the deal-making calendar: Tolerx has its therapy--otelixizumab--headed into Phase III trials for type 1 diabetes. Mid-stage trials demonstrated its effectiveness in lowering the need for insulin therapy. The therapy has also been studied in two Phase I trials in psoriasis.

Under the terms of the deal, Tolerx gets $70 million in upfront fees, equity and advanced R&D funds, up to $155 million in future development costs, $350 million in scheduled milestones for a successful program and $175 million in sales milestones. As a further sweetener, Glaxo will invest up to $10 million in Tolerx stock when it goes public. Tolerx will be responsible for a late-stage study of the therapy for type 1 diabetes through the biologics license application. Tolerx also keeps an option to co-promote the therapy for type 1 in the U.S. while Glaxo gains exclusive rights to all other indications in the rest of the world.

"Otelixizumab is another welcome addition to GSK's rapidly expanding biopharmaceuticals pipeline. This is a key area of future growth and investment for GSK and, as a novel treatment for many T cell-mediated diseases, the potential of otelixizumab is significant," says Dr. Moncef Slaoui, chairman of research and development at GSK.

- see the release for more info

ALSO: For more on Tolerx and its race with MacroGenics, read this profile.

Related Articles:
Synta scores $1.1B deal with GSK. Report
GSK taps Witty as next CEO. Report
Eli Lilly forges $1B diabetes deal. Report
MAbs are hottest segment of biotech industry. Report

FDA delay forces cutbacks at GPC Biotech

Thu, 23 Aug 2007 06:59:58 -0400

Struggling to overcome FDA hurdles for its cancer drug satraplatin, Germany's GPC Biotech says it will slash its staff by 15 percent and ratchet down research and development costs. An FDA advisory committee opted to delay approval until the company can deliver final data on patient survival, which GPC has estimated would take six months. To survive the delay, the biotech is handing out 46 pink slips among its 316 employees. GPC licensed satraplatin five years ago, agreeing to take on development and regulatory costs. As part of the restructuring, GPC says it will slow down--for a while anyway--its work on its 1D09C3 monoclonal antibody and cell cycle inhibitors.

As part of a planned succession, Dr. Martine George is succeeding Dr. Marcel Rozencweig as senior vice president of drug development and chief medical officer. Dr. Rozencweig will remain with the company in the new role of senior vice president, clinical science and drug evaluation.

- check out the release

Related Articles:
GPC yanks FDA application for satraplatin. Report
FDA questions satraplatin. Report
Shares surge as satraplatin succeeds in Phase III. Report
Pharmion signs $270M licensing deal for GPC's satraplatin. Report

Astellas faces FDA delay on reformulated Prograf

Tue, 23 Jan 2007 19:01:36 -0500

The FDA has issued a nonapprovable letter to Japan's Astellas Pharma for a new formulation of its drug Prograf for heart transplant patients. But the agency also said that the drug was approvable for liver and kidney patients while asking for additional information before a final decision is made. That delay sent shares of Astellas down more than five percent, although company officials said they had not given up hope of an approval. The patent on Prograf, which earned $1.4 billion last year, expires in 2008. One analyst noted that if Astellas ended up with an approval for kidney and liver patients the company would be able to protect its market share.

- here's the release on Prograf from Astellas

ALSO: Kirin Brewery and Astellas have inked a deal to collaborate on the development of an anti-CD40 antagonistic monoclonal antibody. Release (.pdf)

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Press Release: Schering-Plough Corporation And XOMA Extend Collaboration

Maureen Martino — Wed, 17 Jan 2007 11:44:38 -0500

Schering-Plough Corporation And XOMA LLC Extend Collaboration

BERKELEY, Calif., Jan. 17, 2007 -- XOMA Ltd. announced that Schering-Plough Corporation exercised its right to initiate additional discovery and development programs under their collaboration for therapeutic antibody products. XOMA has received up-front payments for each of the additional collaboration programs and will also receive research funding for each project as well as success based milestones and royalties on the sale of any products that result from the collaboration.

``We have made significant progress on the first product program since its initiation with Schering-Plough in mid-2006,'' said Jack Castello, chairman of the board, president, and chief executive officer of XOMA. ``We look forward to advancing the new programs in a similar high quality and expedited manner.''

About the XOMA-Schering-Plough Collaboration

On May 23, 2006, XOMA announced the initiation of a collaboration with Schering-Plough Corporation through its research and development arm, Schering-Plough Research Institute, for therapeutic monoclonal antibody discovery and development. Under the agreement, XOMA is responsible for discovering therapeutic antibodies against multiple targets selected by Schering-Plough. Other XOMA activities are expected to include preclinical studies to support regulatory filings, cell line and process development, and production of antibodies for initial clinical trials. Schering-Plough will make up-front and milestone payments to XOMA, fund XOMA's R&D activities related to the agreement, and pay royalties to XOMA on sales of products resulting from the collaboration.

About XOMA

XOMA is a leader in the discovery, development and manufacture of therapeutic antibodies, with a therapeutic focus that includes cancer and immune diseases. XOMA has royalty interests in RAPTIVA(r) (efalizumab), a monoclonal antibody product marketed worldwide (by Genentech, Inc. and Serono, SA) to treat moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis, and LUCENTIS(tm) (ranibizumab injection), a monoclonal antibody product marketed worldwide (by Genentech, Inc. and Novartis AG) to treat neovascular (wet) age-related macular degeneration.

The company has built a premier antibody discovery and development platform that includes access to seven of the leading commercially available antibody phage display libraries and XOMA's proprietary Human Engineering(tm) and bacterial cell expression (BCE) technologies. More than 45 companies have signed BCE licenses. XOMA's development collaborators include Lexicon Genetics, Inc., Novartis, Schering-Plough Corporation and Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited. With a fully integrated product development infrastructure, XOMA's product development capabilities extend from preclinical sciences to product launch. For more information, please visit the company's website at http://www.xoma.com.

Certain statements contained herein concerning product development or that otherwise relate to future periods are forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Such statements are based on assumptions that may not prove accurate. Actual results could differ materially from those anticipated due to certain risks inherent in the biotechnology industry and for companies engaged in the development of new products in a regulated market. In particular, XOMA will not receive the estimated total amounts of funds if it cannot successfully discover and develop antibodies in this collaboration. These and other risks, including those related to the results of discovery research and preclinical testing; the timing or results of pending and future clinical trials (including the design and progress of clinical trials; safety and efficacy of the products being tested; action, inaction or delay by the FDA, European or other regulators or their advisory bodies; and analysis or interpretation by, or submission to, these entities or others of scientific data); uncertainties regarding the status of biotechnology patents; uncertainties as to the cost of protecting intellectual property; changes in the status of the existing collaborative and licensing relationships; the ability of collaborators, licensees and other third parties to meet their obligations; market demand for products; scale up and marketing capabilities; competition; international operations; share price volatility; XOMA's financing needs and opportunities and risks associated with XOMA's status as a Bermuda company, are described in more detail in XOMA's most recent annual report on Form 10-K and in other SEC filings. Consider such risks carefully in considering XOMA's prospects.

Contact: XOMA Ltd. Paul Goodson, Sr. Director, Investor Relations (510) 204-7270 goodson@xoma.com

Press Release: 4-Antibody Closes CHF $18.5 Million Series A Financing

Maureen Martino — Tue, 16 Jan 2007 11:56:51 -0500

4-Antibody Closes CHF 17 Million Series A Financing, Bringing the Total Series A Financing to CHF 23 Million ($18.5 Million)

BASEL, Switzerland | Jan 15, 2006 | Advent Venture Partners, Life Science Partners (LSP) and BioMedinvest today announced the completion of a CHF 17 Million Series A financing of 4-Antibody AG. This closing was led by new investor Advent Venture Partners (UK), together with existing lead investors Life Sciences Partners (LSP, The Netherlands) and BioMedinvest AG (Switzerland). All other existing investors; Grazia Equity (Germany), Mulligan Biocapital (Germany) and several private investors also participated

4-Antibody AG is focused on exploiting its 4mAb(TM) proprietary platform to improve existing antibodies and to discover de- novo fully human antibodies. Proceeds will be used to accelerate the discovery and development of novel therapeutic monoclonal antibodies.

"The success of our Series A financing is a recognition of the potential of our proprietary 4mAb(TM) platform to generate novel fully human antibodies against a broad range of disease targets. We are very pleased to be able to attract Advent Venture Partners, a top tier Life Sciences investor, complementing our existing investor syndicate. We are now well positioned to build on our product pipeline and to accelerate our fast follower monoclonal antibody programs" said Sijmen de Vries, CEO of 4-Antibody AG.

Raj Parekh, General Partner at Advent Venture Partners commented:

"The 4mAb(TM) technology has the potential to become an industry standard to increase the potency and specificity of human monoclonal antibodies designed for therapeutic use. We are very pleased to support the company."

About 4-Antibody AG

4-Antibody AG is a Basel-based privately owned company, with a wholly owned subsidiary in Jena, Germany. 4-Antibody owns a novel and proprietary technology platform (4mAb(TM)) for the development and/or optimization of fully human antibodies. For more information about 4-Antibody, please visit our website at http://www.4-antibody.com.

About Advent Ventures

Advent Ventures is one of the most experienced technology venture capital firms in the UK. Established in 1981 it invests in both the Life Science and Information and Communications Technology sectors. Advent Ventures has over GBP500 million (US$ 900m) under management from institutional investors across Europe and the USA. It has backed around 60 life science companies of which, to date, 19 have obtained public listings. Recent investments by the Advent Life Sciences team include Norwegian radiopharmaceuticals company, Algeta; the US speciality pharma company, CardioKine Inc; the US medical services company NeoGuide and UK-based Thiakis which develops hormone-based treatments for obesity. For additional information please visit: www.adventventures.com