Genmab and Pepscan to identify human antibodies against intractable targets

Danish biotech business Genmab A/S and immunotherapy company Pepscan based in the Netherlands are collaborating to identify fully human monoclonal antibodies against intractable disease targets.

Intractable targets include those that are difficult to address using commonly available technologies but are highly desirable for targeting with monoclonal antibodies. These difficulties can for example be due to the fact that target proteins are buried to a large extent very close to the cell surface or in the cell membrane or due to poor immunogenicity of the protein or desirable epitopes.

In the collaboration, Pepscan will use its proprietary CLIPS technology to identify functional mimics of the essential parts of such intractable targets. These mimics will be used by Genmab to create and select unique therapeutic antibodies using its fully human monoclonal antibody technology.

"As part of our efforts to expand Genmab's pipeline, we continually evaluate disease targets which may effectively be addressed with monoclonal antibodies," said Lisa N. Drakeman, chief executive officer of Genmab. "This research collaboration with Pepscan will allow us to include in our evaluations a wider variety of disease targets that may not be easily addressed using standard treatments."

Joost van Bree, ceo of Pepscan Therapeutics, said: "Monoclonal antibodies against intractable targets are a significant unmet need. The combination of Pepscan CLIPS(tm) protein mimicry platform with Genmab's ability to generate fully human monoclonals will enable the partners to develop innovative products for poorly served indications."