AnaptysBio will use SHM-XEL platform to generate antibodies against targets in oncology and inflammation.

Celgene is tapping AnaptysBio for expertise in generating therapeutic antibodies to oncology and inflammation-related targets. In return for using its SHM-XEL™ platform to discover antibodies against Celgene targets, AnaptysBio will receive an up front fee, plus development milestones and future sales royalties. Celgene will retain worldwide rights to develop and commercialize antibodies.

AnaptysBio is combining its somatic hypermutation (SHM) platform with existing antibody technologies to discover and optimize therapeutic antibodies through a process that involves natural evolution and high-throughput selection. The firm says the technology can be applied both for the discovery of new antibodies and the optimization of existing antibodies to generate candidates with desired binding and specificity properties for therapeutic applications.

AnaptysBio is exploiting the SHM-XEL platform to develop an in house pipeline of therapeutic antibodies for autoimmune diseases, cancer and other disorders, and also through collaborations. Partnerships are ongoing with firms including Merck, Roche and Novartis and with DARPA (the U.S.  Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. The DARPA program is focused on the development of thermally stable antibodies for use in biosensor applications in the biodefense field.

In January AnaptysBio inked a second therapeutic antibody collaboration with Novartis, and separately signed a collaboration with an unnamed pharma firm. Both agreements are centered on the discovery and optimization of antibodies against multiple oncology targets. 

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