Genmab shares up on new antibody tech

Shares of Denmark's Genmab surged on the news that it had unveiled a new technology for developing smaller antibodies. Genmab CEO Lisa Drakeman said that its new UniBody technology will help advance the antibody field. Smaller antibodies would be able to reach new drug targets and could be delivered orally rather than by injection. Drakeman also said that she's in discussions with several potential partners for HuMax-CD20.

"We believe that UniBody constitutes the next generation in antibody development," said Jan G. J. van de Winkel, Ph.D., chief scientific officer at Genmab. "It does not activate the immune system, so it may be useful to treat autoimmune disease where the goal is to regulate and preserve the target cells. It may also be effective against certain cancer targets where it is not expected to cause unwanted cell growth."

- see the release on Genmab