Immunex, Cambridge Antibody Technology ink licensing agreement

Cambridge Antibody Technology (CAT; Melbourn, UK) and Immunex Corp. (Seattle) have signed an agreement, under which Immunex will license CAT's proprietary antibody phage display library for the discovery, development, and potential commercialization of human monoclonal antibodies.

CAT will receive a license fee from Immunex to utilize the antibody library for reagent generation and target validation in support of drug discovery programs at Immunex. In addition, Immunex will receive eight exclusive therapeutic antibody product options, and CAT will receive clinical milestone and royalty payments on product sales.

"CAT shares with Immunex the view that the significant long-term value in novel human proteins to treat human disease is best captured through collaborative, strategic partnerships," CAT CEO David Chiswell commented in a company press release. "Furthermore, CAT believes that tailoring human monoclonal antibodies to target fundamental physiological processes in disease is the future of successful drug development."

CAT is developing proprietary antibody-based products, both independently and in partnership, as drug discovery tools and for therapeutic application in humans. The company previously entered into broad strategic alliances for the discovery and development of human monoclonal antibody-based drugs with a number of pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, most recently with Pharmacia Corp. and Human Genome Sciences.

For more information, contact Rowena Gardner, head of corporate communications for Cambridge Antibody Technology, at +44-1763-263233.

Edited by Jim Pomager
Assistant Editor, Bioresearch Online
Source: Cambridge Antibody Technology