Monoclonal antibodies Archives

Scancell Holdings plc, the developer of novel immunotherapies for the treatment of cancer and infectious disease, has signed a licensing agreement with Genmab, an international biotechnology company, to develop and commercialize a Scancell investigational anti-glycan monoclonal antibody into novel therapeutic products. Genmab has been granted the exclusive right to develop and commercialize the Scancell antibody in multiple novel potential therapeutic products for any and all potential disease areas, excluding cell therapy applications. Scancell will be eligible to receive upfront and potential development and commercialization milestone payments, as well as royalties on products sold. The Scancell anti-glycan monoclonal antibody is a humanized antibody developed by Scancell, using its novel anti-cancer GlyMab platform. This is one of five monoclonal antibodies currently in Scancell’s antibody portfolio. Lindy Durrant, chief executive officer, Scancell, said: “This license agreement with Genmab provides strong validation for our proprietary GlyMab platform and our ability to utilize this technology to support the creation of novel, differentiated antibody products. Genmab is a leader in the field of antibody therapies for cancer and we are very pleased to be working with them to progress this novel antibody product through clinical development and commercialization.” About GlyMab Scancell is building a pipeline of differentiated anti-cancer monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) that target sugar motifs rather than proteins. The company currently has five novel mAbs in early-stage development and has the potential to use its methodology to identify many more mAbs against glycan targets in the future. All cells are covered by a dense layer of sugar structures, called glycans, which change when a normal cell turns into a cancer cell. These glycan motifs that are associated with tumor malignancies can be targeted by antibodies such as the company’s GlyMab portfolio. The GlyMab technology is part of Scancell’s antibody portfolio, joining AvidiMab, a technology that can be applied to all antibodies (regardless of the technology used to generate them), enhancing their potency and ability to directly kill tumor cells.