BioWa Announces License of POTELLIGENT(R) Technology to Merck KGaA
PRINCETON, N.J., July 15 /PRNewswire/ -- BioWa, Inc. announced today that it has entered into a license agreement with Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, providing the global healthcare and chemicals company with access to BioWa's POTELLIGENT((R)) Technology platform for the research, development and commercialization of their antibody therapies with enhanced antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC).
"We are extremely pleased about our partnership with Merck KGaA, a global healthcare company with a strong worldwide presence," commented Dr. Masamichi Koike, BioWa's President and CEO. "Merck KGaA's world-class R&D organization and global market presence will enable us to promote and extend the benefit of the technology to patients all over the world more efficiently."
Under the terms of the license agreement, BioWa grants Merck KGaA non-exclusive rights to research, develop and commercialize therapeutic antibodies generated through POTELLIGENT((R)) Technology for an undisclosed number of targets. In return, BioWa will receive upfront payments, and may receive development milestone payments and royalties on products. Other details of the agreement are not disclosed.
About POTELLIGENT((R)) Technology
POTELLIGENT((R)) Technology improves potency and efficacy of antibody therapeutics, by enhancing ADCC, one of the major mechanisms of action for antibody therapeutics. POTELLIGENT((R)) Technology involves the reduction of the amount of fucose in the carbohydrate structure of an antibody using a proprietary fucosyltransferase-knockout CHO cell line as a production cell. Research shows that POTELLIGENT((R)) Technology dramatically enhances ADCC activity of an antibody in vitro, and significantly increases potency and efficacy of the antibody in vivo. A number of POTELLIGENT((R)) antibodies are being investigated in human clinical trials.
About BioWa, Inc.
BioWa is a wholly owned subsidiary of Kyowa Hakko Kirin Co., Ltd., Japan's leading pharmaceutical and largest biotech company, and is the exclusive worldwide licensor of AccretaMab((TM)) platform. AccretaMab((TM)) platform consists of POTELLIGENT((R)) and COMPLEGENT((TM)) Technologies, creating a superior antibody molecule with enhanced ADCC and CDC activities. BioWa is offering POTELLIGENT((R)) and COMPLEGENT((TM)) Technologies to partners under a license to maximize the value of these technologies. Together with Kyowa Hakko Kirin, BioWa is committed to promote ADCC/CDC enhanced monoclonal antibody-based therapeutics to fight cancer and other life-threatening and debilitating diseases. For more information about BioWa, visit its web site at www.biowa.com.
POTELLIGENT((R)), COMPLEGENT((TM)), and AccretaMab((TM)) are the trademarks of Kyowa Hakko Kirin Co., Ltd. All rights are reserved.