Heptares, Kymab in Immuno-oncology Alliance

Heptares Therapeutics and Kymab Ltd. have entered into a strategic collaboration to discover, develop and commercialize antibody therapeutics targeting a number of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCR) with an initial focus on immuno-oncology. GPCRs act at critical checkpoints that can be targeted by immunotherapy antibodies.
 
Heptares will apply its StaR platform to create stable antigens based on multiple GPCR targets chosen by the companies. Kymab will then use its Kymouse human antibody discovery platform to generate antibodies in response to immunization with these antigens. The companies will use their resources and development capabilities to pursue promising leads to bring products into the clinic. The companies will jointly conduct and share the costs of each antibody discovery and development program.
 
Malcolm Weir, chairman and chief executive officer of Heptares, said, “GPCRs have long been intractable targets for antibody discovery resulting in dearth of products. We believe that our proven StaR technology can unlock this substantial opportunity, not just in immuno-oncology but also across other therapeutic areas where GPCR-targeted biologics could have a significant impact. By entering into strategic collaborations with companies with world-leading antibody discovery technologies, such as Kymab, we have the potential to discover, develop and commercialize a highly valuable pipeline of new biologic products.”
 
David Chiswell, chief executive officer of Kymab, said, “Antibodies are important therapeutic agents for cancer and other indications. Our collaboration with Heptares will allow us to combine stable antigens based on multiple GPCR targets with our world-class Kymouse platform, which has unparalleled diversity and will therefore rapidly identify and yield highly selective potent human monoclonal antibodies for unmet medical needs.”