Breda, the Netherlands, and Ghent, Belgium, December 6, 2012 – arGEN-X, a biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of highly differentiated human monoclonal antibody therapeutics has received its first Notice of Allowance from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) in connection with a portfolio of patent filings related to its SIMPLE Antibody™ discovery platform.
The allowed application (U.S. Patent Application No. 12/497,239) provides uniquely broad composition of matter coverage for antibody molecules obtained with arGEN-X’ SIMPLE Antibody™ technology, the center piece of its suite of antibody technologies that are transforming the discovery and development of highly differentiated antibody therapeutics.
arGEN-X’ SIMPLE Antibody™ discovery engine consistently delivers human antibody leads of phenomenal functional diversity, even against extremely complex and highly conserved targets. SIMPLE Antibody™ leads routinely exhibit ultra-high affinities and potencies, outstanding manufacturability and ability to cross-react with species orthologs of targets, including mouse. This latter property is highly desirable as it enables well established preclinical safety and efficacy models to be utilized earlier and more widely in therapeutic antibody development.
arGEN-X’ SIMPLE Antibody™ platform is complemented by its NHance™ technology, which allows the selective tailoring of antibody residence time in the body. Together with POTELLIGENT® technology licensed from BioWa Inc., which boosts antibody-mediated cell killing properties, arGEN-X has outstanding capabilities in generating highly differentiated antibody therapeutics.
arGEN-X has already achieved industry validation for its SIMPLE Antibody™ platform through its collaboration with Eli Lilly on highly complex targets, its strategic alliance with Shire targeting rare diseases, and its first product out-licensing deal with China-based RuiYi.
The unrivalled productivity of its SIMPLE Antibody™ platform has enabled arGEN-X to develop a proprietary portfolio of four therapeutic programs targeting cancer and autoimmune diseases in just three years of operations. The most advanced, ARGX-110, targets CD70 and has a first in class, dual mode of action in hematologic and solid tumors as well as autoimmune disorders. ARGX-111, targeting c-Met on solid tumors, is uniquely differentiated through its triple mode of therapeutic action. ARGX-112 and Onco-003 are showing exciting potential in addressing complex targets in inflammatory disease and cancer respectively.
Prof. Hans de Haard, CSO of arGEN-X commenting on today’s announcement said: “The USPTO’s decision to grant this important patent for our SIMPLE Antibody™ platform is a major value-enhancing milestone for arGEN-X. It marks a key step in securing a broad and unencumbered global IP position for our discovery technologies, which together provide us with unique capability to discover and develop highly differentiated human antibody therapeutics against diverse and complex disease targets.”
About arGEN-X
arGEN-X is a preclinical stage biopharmaceutical company that is rapidly leveraging its powerful, proprietary SIMPLE Antibody™ platform to generate fully human antibodies with highly differentiated qualities and outstanding therapeutic potential. The platform excels in delivering large panels of ultra-potent, functionally diverse antibodies against complex disease targets, especially cell surface receptors and highly conserved proteins.
The superior choice that arGEN-X brings to antibody discovery enables it to prioritize leads with best-in-class therapeutic properties to increase the probability of development success. SIMPLE Antibody™ leads have outstanding physicochemical properties and consistent manufacturability, enabling a seamless transition from discovery into development.
arGEN-X has validated its technology on multiple diverse classes of targets to date and has successfully delivered in its collaboration with Eli Lilly & Co.. Earlier this year, arGEN-X entered into a second strategic alliance with Shire, focused on the discovery and development of antibody therapeutics for rare diseases. In October, arGEN-X granted a worldwide exclusive license to RuiYi to develop and commercialize ARGX-109, a novel anti-IL-6 monoclonal antibody.
arGEN-X is also applying NHance™ and POTELLIGENT® technologies, in partnership and for its proprietary pipeline, to complement its SIMPLE Antibody™ platform in order to maximize the therapeutic utility of the antibodies that it generates.
SIMPLE Antibody™ and NHance™ platforms are covered by broad patent claims, enjoy an independent, unencumbered patent position and are free of target gatekeeping restrictions.
SIMPLE stands for Superior Immunodiversity with Minimal Protein Lead Engineering.
arGEN-X™, SIMPLE Antibody™ and NHance™ are deposited trademarks of arGEN-X BV.
POTELLIGENT® is a deposited trademark of BioWa Inc.
For more information please visit www.arGEN-X.com
For further information, please contact:
Citigate Dewe Rogerson
David Dible
E: qnivq.qvoyr@pvgvtngrqe.pb.hx
T: +31 6 122 85 257
Mark Swallow
Nina Enegren
arGEN-X
Tim Van Hauwermeiren, MSc, eMBA
Chief Executive Officer
T: +44 207 282 2949/2948/1050
E: gvz.iu@neTRA-K.pbz
Debbie Allen, Ph.D.
Senior Director, Business Development
T: +44 7974 979479
E: qnyyra@neTRA-K.pbz
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