Glythera and IONTAS to collaborate for development of multiple antibodies for next-generation Antibo

Glythera Limited (Glythera), a next generation Antibody Drug Conjugate (‘ADC’) development Company, and IONTAS Limited (IONTAS), a leader in services and platform technologies associated with the discovery and optimisation of fully-human antibody drugs, have announced a collaboration for the development of Antibody Drug Conjugates (ADCs ) for difficult-to-treat cancers. As part of the agreement, IONTAS will generate novel, fully human antibodies against specified targets for proof-of-concept studies. Glythera will have an option for exclusive, worldwide rights to resulting antibodies for the development of ADCs alongside its proprietary conjugation platform, PermaLink® and its in-house portfolio of novel toxins.

The two companies will select and optimise multiple undisclosed antibodies for ADC development, with Glythera exercising its option right to exclusively develop and commercialise the resulting antibodies in ADC formats. Glythera will continue to evaluate numerous ultra-potent ADC-relevant toxin classes, including novel and known mechanisms, with an intention to nominate its first clinical ADC candidate by 2019.

IONTAS will utilize its unique antibody discovery services and bespoke phage display libraries for antibody discovery. Glythera will subsequently generate PermaLink-based ADCs which have been shown to provide a near-100% improvement in tolerability when compared with maleimide-based ADCs in in-vivo models, as well as enhanced tumour cell-killing and an overall improvement in tumour response in xenograft models. The inherent stability of PermaLink permits the use of ultra-potent toxins for ADCs with enhanced efficacy and safety

IONTAS will receive undisclosed development and clinical milestone payments on each of the ADCs. Glythera will be responsible for the development, manufacturing and commercialisation of any ADC products resulting from the agreement.

Dr John McCafferty, CEO at IONTAS, commented: "This agreement reflects the ambition of IONTAS to establish broader relationships with partners for multiple antibody deals using our proprietary technology platforms. We believe our expertise and efficiency in antibody discovery will help Glythera with their ultimate short term goal of being in clinic by 2019."

"We identified IONTAS as the ideal partner for antibody discovery, due to their proprietary phage display technology and libraries, providing the potential for development of multiple antibodies. The combination of IONTAS’ experience and expertise, with our proven PermaLink platform, will support our mission to target difficult-to-treat tumours, and progress towards the clinic," said Dr Dave Simpson, CEO at Glythera.