15 Mar Invenra adds partners, still open to developing own drugs in future
By Jeff Buchanan, Xconomy
In the past three months, Invenra has announced two new partnerships, under which it will provide antibodies to organizations that will use them to develop new drug candidates.
Madison, WI-based Invenra is one of a small number of companies that has traditionally used cell-free protein expression technology to identify therapeutic monoclonal antibodies. This approach sets Invenra apart from the more popular standard today of using genetically modified cells, such as E. coli or Chinese hamster ovary cells, to produce antibodies.
Invenra announced its collaboration with the QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute in Australia last month, and with Portland, OR-based AgonOx in December.
In both deals, Invenra’s partner has identified a novel target of interest ahead of time. Under the terms of the agreements, Invenra says it will to develop antibodies designed to bind to the target—which could be a disease-causing protein, for instance—and perform specific functions after binding to it. Read more …