AstraZeneca’s biologics arm MedImmune and synthetic biology co Abpro have joined forces on a new Ang2-VEGF research collab that will come together under a new spinout.
The spinout, dubbed AbMed, will work on a preclinical, bispecific antibody targeting angiopoietin-2 and vascular endothelial growth factor (Ang2-VEGF), with Abpro helping it run day-to-day ops.
“Several potential therapeutic areas will be explored” where blocking the Ang2 and VEGF pathways with the bispecific antibody “may provide clinical benefit,” the companies said in a statement, although further detailed targets were not shared, except that it “may be useful in targeting disease indications with high unmet needs.”
AbMed will officially work as a subsidiary of Abpro, which is also set to take the lion’s share of global development and commercialization rights to the program, while MedImmune will gain future biobucks, as well as hold a minority equity stake in AbMed.
"This agreement arises out of MedImmune's culture of entrepreneurship and innovation—both in science and in business," said Jane Osbourn, VP of R&D at MedImmune. "We believe partners like Abpro can help us maximize our extensive preclinical portfolio to advance therapies for patients."
This comes after the beginning of some staff cuts from MedImmune over the summer as it looks toward a deeper focus (and a larger cash pile) for its oncology research.