Partners Seek to Develop Rare Monoclonal Antibodies for Therapeutic Use

A recently publicized collaborative research agreement is set to boost the use of a high-throughput single cell antibody platform for the discovery of rare monoclonal antibodies for therapeutic use.

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (Petah Tikva, Israel) and AbCellera (Vancouver, BC, Canada) have agreed to collaborate in a research program that will expand the use of AbCellar's proprietary antibody discovery system.

The AbCellera system is based on isolating single antibody-secreting cells in nanoliter-volume chambers, which allows secreted antibodies to be detected within hours with a variety of bead-based and cell-based assay formats. Combining ultra-high-throughput screening with enhanced sensitivity and flexibility means the microfluidic platform can deliver high-quality monoclonal antibody therapeutic candidates with exceptional speed. Small volume chambers ensure that millions of cells can be screened at the same time based on binding properties and antibody function, focusing downstream analysis on potentially high value antibodies. State-of-the art automation during cell processing and recovery, combined with deep technical expertise guarantees the rapid and effective identification of rare antibodies with the desired therapeutic properties.

Under the terms of the agreement, AbCellera will receive an upfront payment, research payments, and will be eligible to receive undisclosed downstream milestone payments associated with the development and approval of therapeutic antibodies.

“We are pleased to work with AbCellera utilizing this company’s novel biologics technology,” said Dr. Michael Hayden, president of global R&D and CSO at Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. “This agreement will be complementary to our existing antibody discovery process with the potential to strengthen Teva’s capabilities in novel biologics discovery.”

“These are tough problems that need new technologies to move them forward. Our platform brings important advantages to enable the discovery of rare antibodies with defined specificity and functional activity against difficult membrane protein targets,” said Dr. Carl Hansen, president and CEO of AbCellera. “We look forward to a close collaboration with the team of scientists at Teva, and are excited at the chance to help advance this important program.”

Related Links:
Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd.
AbCellera