Abbott Laboratories forms an agreement with Domantis

Abbott Laboratories and UK-based Domantis have announced a research and license agreement to discover multiple therapeutic products based on Domantis's proprietary Domain Antibody technology.

The two companies will collaborate on the identification and optimisation of Domain Antibodies for the first two undisclosed Abbott therapeutic targets. Abbott will have non-exclusive access to Domantis's Domain Antibody technology for use with additional therapeutic targets, and Domantis will receive funding for collaborative research activities and license fees for technology access.

If therapeutic products result from the collaboration or Abbott's use of the Domain Antibody Technology, Domantis would also receive license fees and development milestones as well as royalties on commercial sales.

Domantis was launched two years ago as Diversys. It is a private company with laboratory facilities in Cambridge in the UK and commercial offices in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The Company's first commercial partnership was established in April 2001 with Australian biotechnology company Peptech for the development of four Domain Antibody therapeutic products.

'We are excited to be joining forces with Domantis, a pioneer and innovator in the emerging field of single domain antibody technologies,' said Dr Alejandro Aruffo, president, Abbott Bioresearch Center and divisional vice president, global pharmaceutical research and development, Abbott Laboratories.

'Having access to novel new antibody technology will significantly strengthen our antibody discovery technology platform and therefore our capability to bring additional breakthrough antibody-derived therapies to patients.'