CuraGen, Abgenix expand strategic alliance

Abgenix Inc. (Fremont, CA) and CuraGen Corp. (New Haven, CT) have expanded their strategic alliance to develop and commercialize genomics-based antibody drugs using Abgenix' XenoMouse technology and CuraGen's suite of functional genomic technologies. Under the revised agreement, the companies will develop and test up to 250 fully human antibody therapeutic candidates, compared to 120 candidates under the original agreement.

The goal of the five-year alliance is to develop antibody therapeutics against promising antibody drug targets in the human genome. The candidates are intended to treat a broad range of diseases, including metabolic diseases, cancer, inflammation, and autoimmune disorders.

The agreement calls for CuraGen to work exclusively with Abgenix to develop selected antibodies, and for Abgenix tol make an equity investment in CuraGen totaling $50 million. In addition, each company expects to invest an additional $100 million in support of this collaboration over the life of the agreement.

According to CuraGen founder, chairman, and CEO Jonathan M. Rothberg, CuraGen has systematically harvested and characterized 2,182 potential antibody drug targets from the human genome. "Our expanded collaboration with Abgenix provides us with a breakthrough technology that is enabling us to turn these targets into drugs on a scale, and at a speed, not previously attainable," Rothberg said.

"In only nine months we have advanced from target discovery to potential antibody drugs based upon their relevance to human disease," Rothberg added. "CuraGen and Abgenix scientists will then select the most promising 250 targets to raise antibodies against, and test the resulting fully human antibodies in cell and animal disease models, prior to developing them as potential therapeutics."

CuraGen is applying its suite of functional genomic technologies to identify, qualify, validate, and deliver a total of 250 antibody drug targets to Abgenix over the next five years. Abgenix uses its XenoMouse technology to accelerate the drug development process by rapidly generating fully human antibodies against CuraGen's drug targets. Using this approach, the companies hope to systematically produce antibody drugs to treat unmet medical needs in a shorter period of time than has been previously possible. CuraGen and Abgenix will then each select the most promising antibodies to complete preclinical testing and enter their respective clinical development programs.

For more information, contact Ina Cu of Abgenix Inc. at 510-608-4662, or Mark R. Vincent of CuraGen Corp. at 888-GENOMICS.

Edited by Jim Pomager
Assistant Editor, Bioresearch Online
Source: Abgenix Inc.