Kymab and LifeArc have entered a strategic partnership to discover new medicines using Kymab’s IntelliSelect technologies.
The IntelliSelect Transgenics platform is designed to generate fully human monoclonal antibodies from several highly engineered strains of mice that have the complete constellation of human antibody building blocks in their genome.
The IntelliSelect Screening technology combines single cell sequencing, genomics and proprietary bioinformatic algorithms to prioritize and select antibodies generated by IntelliSelect Transgenics platforms that have the most desirable drug-like properties.
The partnership provides LifeArc with access to Kymab’s suite of antibody discovery technologies, including Darwin, one of Kymab’s new transgenic platforms that replaces the original transgenic platform, combined with its human antibody screening platform which together can quickly deliver candidate therapeutics with the most desirable drug-like properties.
Under the terms of the agreement, LifeArc made an initial US $10 million equity investment in Kymab, with a commitment to an additional US $20 million equity investment. Kymab will also receive a percentage of revenues that LifeArc generates from any products discovered and commercialised using Kymab’s technologies.
Simon Sturge, CEO of Kymab, said he is “delighted that LifeArc, with its focus on transformational medical research which has led to drugs such as Keytruda, has chosen our IntelliSelect platforms for their future antibody discovery programmes.”
He continued, “LifeArc has a proven track record in discovering innovative, life-changing medicines for patients, and I look forward to our working together on therapeutic programmes that have the potential to transform patient’s lives.”
