Theraclone Licenses Broadly Neutralizing Antibodies For HIV To Gilead
By Cyndi Root
Theraclone Sciences announced in a press release that it has agreed to license its broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs) products to Gilead. The exclusive development and commercialization license is a collaboration between the two companies to find new treatments for HIV. The bNAbs were discovered by Theraclone, the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI), and The Scripps Research Institute using Theraclone’s I-STAR technology, which enables researchers to rapidly test of tens of thousands of fully human antibodies.
Clifford J. Stocks, CEO of Theraclone, said, “Through our innovative I-STAR technology, we are able to uncover unique antibodies that have the capacity to neutralize viruses, such as HIV, that are known to mutate and evade current therapies.”
Theraclone and Gilead Agreement
The agreement between Theraclone and Gilead allows Gilead to discover, develop, and market antibodies with exceptional biological activities. Gilead has agreed to make an upfront payment to Theraclone in return for the technology and products. Additionally, Gilead will make development and commercialization milestone payments.
I-Star System
Theraclone’s I-Star (In-Situ Therapeutic Antibody Rescue) system is a proprietary technology that identifies immunologically relevant antibodies. The system finds candidates for therapeutic purposes or for engineered solutions with antibody drug conjugation (ADC), bi-specificity, CAR-T therapy, vector delivery, and vaccine development. Currently, the company is using the platform for conditions such as treatment-resistant HER-2 negative breast cancer, infectious disease associated cancers, and Gram-negative multi-drug resistant bacteria.
About Theraclone
Theraclone Sciences from Seattle, WA is a privately held company that focuses on the millions of antibodies in the immune system, screening for rare antibodies with the ability to fight disease. The company focuses on finding treatments for infectious diseases and cancer. Theraclone collaborates with Pfizer, Zenyaku
Kogyo, and IAVI among others. Theraclone partnered with Pfizer in January 2011 on I-STAR and infectious disease and cancer antibodies. In March 2010, the company began a collaboration with Zenyaku Kogyo on antibodies for pandemic influenza and severe seasonal influenza. The International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) also partnered with Theraclone in February 2008 on HIV-neutralizing antibodies.
The company is actively seeking partners for further drug discovery with options for collaboration, licensing, and exclusive licensing.