-Anti-ApoC3 antibody developed as part of research collaboration on dyslipidemia- - Represents latest collaboration to stem from the argenx's Innovative Access Program- -argenx is eligible to receive a double-digit royalty on ARGX-116 related income-
6 March 2017
Breda, the Netherlands/Ghent, Belgium argenx (Euronext Brussels: ARGX), a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing a deep pipeline of differentiated antibody-based therapies for the treatment of severe autoimmune diseases and cancer, today announced that Staten Biotech has exercised its exclusive option to license ARGX-116, an anti-ApoC3 SIMPLE Antibody TM with therapeutic potential in dyslipidemia. This collaboration is the latest to stem from the argenx Innovative Access Program.
"The discovery of ARGX-116 is truly one of collaboration, utilizing Staten's unique expertise in dyslipidemia and our novel SIMPLE Antibody TM platform to develop an antagonizing antibody against ApoC3, a target involved in triglyceride metabolism," commented Tim Van Hauwermeiren, Chief Executive Officer of argenx. "We are highly encouraged by Staten's decision to pursue further development of this exciting molecule and recognize that strategic collaborations like this one are a fundamental pillar of our mission allowing us to be a leader in developing therapeutic antibodies."
argenx began its collaboration with Staten Biotech in 2015 as part of a research collaboration through its Innovative Access Program. Under the terms of the agreement, Staten will be responsible for additional development of ARGX-116, and argenx is eligible to receive a double-digit portion on income related to the product. Additional financial details of the collaboration have not been disclosed.
About the Innovative Access Program Through our Innovative Access Program (IAP) argenx is able to serially collaborate closely with academic experts and small biotech companies, bringing antibody discovery technologies to the heart of novel target research. The IAP allows our partners use of our technologies for the development of antibodies to help validate novel targets. In return argenx is granted early access to these targets. The diversity of argenx's SIMPLE Antibody TM immune repertoires streamlines target validation, with the potential to transform novel proteins into next generation therapeutic antibody programs.
About ApoC3 ApoC3 is protein with several modes of action: it inhibits very-low-density-lipoproteins (VLDL) uptake by the liver and it inhibits the activity of lipoprotein lipase leading to high levels of lipoproteins and triglycerides. Loss of function mutations in ApoC3 leads to reduced incidence of vascular and heart diseases. This supports the potential of the anti-ApoC3 antibody to act as key molecule in dysplipidemia management.
About Staten Staten Biotechnology aims to develop novel and innovative strategies for the treatment of dyslipidemia, namely in the triglyceride space. Staten Biotechnology B.V. is incorporated in 2014 by world experts in dyslipidemia, Paul da Silva Jardine, Daniel Rader and Alan Tall. Daniela Couto is the Managing Director.
About argenx argenx a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing a deep pipeline of differentiated antibody-based therapies for the treatment of severe auto-immune diseases and cancer. We are focused on developing product candidates with the potential to be either first-in-class against novel targets or best-in-class against known, but complex, targets in order to treat diseases with a significant unmet medical need. Our ability to execute on this focus is enabled by our suite of differentiated technologies. Our SIMPLE Antibody TM Platform, based on the powerful llama immune system, allows us to exploit novel and complex targets, and our three antibody engineering technologies are designed to enable us to expand the therapeutic index of our product candidates. www.argenx.com
For further information, please contact:
Joke Comijn, Corporate Communications and Investor Relations Manager +32 (0)477 77 29 44 +32 (0)9 310 34 19 info@argenx.com
Beth DelGiacco (US IR) Stern Investor Relations +1 212 362 1200 beth@sternir.com
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