Antitope Ltd. today announced a research agreement with Agence Nationale de Recherches sur le SIDA et les hepatitives virales (ANRS, France), INSERM (France) and Baylor Research Institute (BRI, Dallas, Texas USA)
Cambridge UK, January 2010 - Antitope Ltd. today announced a research agreement with Agence Nationale de Recherches sur le SIDA et les hepatitives virales (ANRS, France), INSERM (France) and Baylor Research Institute (BRI, Dallas, Texas USA) for the generation of multiple humanized antibodies. Under the Agreement, Antitope will apply its proprietary Composite Human AntibodyTM technology in order to generate therapeutic antibodies for the treatment of HIV/AIDS, hepatitis C infection, tuberculosis and cancer.
"We are delighted to be working with such esteemed institutions in order to generate cutting-edge therapeutic antibodies," said Dr Matthew Baker, Chief Scientific Officer and co-founder of Antitope. "This agreement combines our partners’ expertise in novel therapeutic strategies with Antitope’s expertise in engineering humanized antibodies to create therapeutic antibodies that may have a significant impact on the treatment of these major diseases."
“This partnership will enable us to leverage Antitope’s unique technology in generating our therapeutic vaccines which may represent a genuinely novel approach to treating those diseases having a major unmet medical need,” said Jacques Banchereau, Director of the Baylor Institute for Immunology Research, the human immunology department of BRI.
"This research is integrated within the ANRS HIV Vaccine research program aimed to develop innovative strategies towards a preventive and/or therapeutic vaccine" said Professor Yves Levy, The scientific Director of the ANRS HIV Vaccine network.
ABOUT ANTITOPE
Antitope Ltd. is a Cambridge, UK-based bio-technology company specializing in immunogenicity testing and the engineering of therapeutic antibodies/proteins to reduce immunogenicity. Antitope is a privately-held company and has established multiple commercial relationships with leading biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies worldwide. For further information on Antitope, please visit http://www.antitope.co.uk/.
ABOUT ANRS
The ANRS is the French National Agency for Research on AIDS and Viral Hepatitis. Its mission is to seek new ways to improve the prevention and treatment of these infections, both in the developed world and in countries with limited resources. The ANRS brings together researchers and physicians from French hospitals and research organizations (INSERM, CNRS, Institut Pasteur, IRD, universities) to work on prioritized scientific projects.
ABOUT INSERM
INSERM is the only French public organization entirely dedicated to biological, medical and public health research. Thanks to the excellence and the multi-disciplinary character of INSERM’s 340 units and research centers, the institute is well placed to develop research programs on most human diseases, even the rarest among them. INSERM is also in a position to ensure the link between the research laboratory and the hospital bed.
In April 2009, INSERM and seven other organizations joined forces to found the National Alliance for Life and Health Sciences, divided into ten Multi-Body Subject-Specific Institutes* (Instituts thématiques multi-organismes - ITMO). For more information about INSERM, visit http://www.inserm.fr/index.php
BAYLOR RESEARCH INSTITUTE
Baylor Research Institute (BRI), the affiliate of the Dallas-based Baylor Health Care System, promotes and supports research to bring innovative treatments from the laboratory workbench to the patient’s bedside. To achieve this bench-to-bedside concept, the institute focuses on basic science, translational research, continuity across therapeutic areas, and clinical trials. BRI basic science institutes specialize in several key areas including: immunology and its clinical indications, such as cancer, auto-immune diseases, rheumatology, dermatology as well as transplantation, metabolic diseases, cardiovascular disease, infectious diseases, and oncology, including colon cancer. For more information on Baylor Research Institute, visit http://www.baylorhealth.com or about Baylor Institute for Immunology Research, visit www.biir.org.