Technology yields active antibodies

Leading Japanese research-based biopharmaceutical company Kyowa Hakko, of Tokyo, has developed new technology for the production of highly active antibodies. It enables the commercial-scale production of antibodies with potent antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity, the company says. The technology is designed to decrease the amount of fucose, a kind of sugar contained in antibodies, resulting in a dramatic increase in their ADCC activity and thereby raising their antitumour effects.

Animal studies have shown that antibodies produced using this technology have at least 100-fold stronger antitumour effects than conventional antibodies. This allows them to be effective at a low dose and thereby offers the advantages of an improved safety profile. In addition, animal studies have shown that the technology also contributes to producing highly active antibodies for the treatment of allergies.