Sanofi and MAB Discovery GmbH (Neuried near Munich, Germany) announced today that they have entered into a research and license agreement in the field of monoclonal antibodies. Within the scope of this collaboration, MAB Discovery will develop therapeutic antibodies for selected targets of Sanofi and thus support Sanofi in the development of antibody-based therapies. Sanofi will in return receive high-quality antibodies with the aim of identifying active substances for a number of diseases that are difficult to treat.
"Through this agreement with MAB Discovery we have found a strong collaboration in Germany to support us in bringing forward various antibody research projects with the help of its unique technology platform", said Prof. Dr. Jochen Maas, Head of Research & Development of Sanofi Germany.
"This agreement is an important confirmation for the quality of our outstanding research platform. MAB Discovery is a renowned antibody specialist who focuses primarily on previously refractory diseases with strong medical needs. Our in-vivo platform based on a new high-throughput screening processes could enable the development of best-in-class antibody therapies", said Dr. Stephan Fischer, CEO of MAB Discovery.
MAB Discovery uses its technology platform for the discovery of antibodies in vivo, which are based on natural immune responses in rabbits. Subsequently, the Company employs state-of-the-art technology for the cloning of antibodies directly from B-cells (a type of white blood cell). Applying new high-throughput screening processes, enables MAB Discovery to identify highly active antibodies. These identified antibodies cover a large number of different target structures (epitopes). The binding of medically active substances to endogenous targets is essential to fight diseases.
The technology employed by MAB Discovery generates a large variety of antibodies. Of these antibodies, those with the highest possible biological effectiveness can then be selected and further developed. This technology has already been used successfully for targets that are difficult to address. One major advantage, among others, is that it requires neither time-consuming optimization of the target binding, nor the development of so-called surrogate antibodies.
About MAB Discovery MAB Discovery was founded in Munich, Germany in October 2010. The team represents a group of scientists out of Roche Biologicals R&D with extensive experience in developing biologically based therapeutics. MAB Discovery follows a flexible collaboration-based business model to meet the needs of their clients and has ongoing partnerships with several biotech and pharma companies. For more information please visit www.mabdiscovery.com