DIREVO announces validation of bestMab™
6 May 2008DIREVO Biotech AG announced today that it has validated its “bestMab™” platform through the generation of an optimized version of the anti-inflammatory antibody, Adalimumab (Humira®), with unprecedentedly strong binding properties. optiMIRA™ shows 300-times tighter antigen binding than Humira®, and more than 15-fold tighter binding than the previously most advanced optimized Humira® derivative, which was generated using display technology. The results of this study were presented on May 1st, 2008 at the Fourth Annual Protein Engineering Summit (PEGS) conference in Boston, USA.
The bestMab™ technology comprises a novel, integrated, and highly effective platform for improving the properties of therapeutic antibodies. The platform achieves this without making use of display technologies, and is applicable to all types of antibodies from any origin, including antibodies derived from either immunized mice or recombinant antibody libraries. Significantly, the bestMab™ process identifies virtually all mutations that can improve the antibody of interest. Using bestMab™, DIREVO optimized the marketed antibody, Humira®, to generate optiMIRA™, which binds to TNFα with an exceptional binding strength (femtomolar affinity).
”This is a major technical and commercial breakthrough in antibody engineering that has the potential to significantly enhance antibody drug development,” said Dr. Thomas von Rüden, CEO of DIREVO. “I am very proud of our interdisciplinary team of scientists and technicians who have made this important contribution to a key area of antibody R&D.”
DIREVO will use bestMab™ as a proprietary cornerstone of its therapeutic antibody platform. Based on bestMab™, DIREVO will generate superior 2nd generation antibodies and improve success rates of antibodies in development, both for internal proprietary programs and through partnerships with the pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical industries.