ProBioGen, Merus Sign GlymaxX License Agreement

ProBioGen AG and Merus B.V. have signed a non-exclusive commercial option and license agreement granting Merus access to ProBioGen’s GlymaxX fucose-engineering technology to enhance the ADCC (Antibody-Dependent Cell-Mediated Cytotoxicity) activity for its lead product, a bispecific anti-cancer antibody. The license covers clinical development and production. Financial details were not disclosed.
 
“We are very satisfied to see our GlymaxX technology being applied to Merus’ promising bispecific cancer antibody candidate. This underlines the superiority of our ADCC enhancement technology and its ability to deliver smart and flexible solutions for optimized biopharmaceutical products,” said Volker Sandig, chief scientific officer of ProBioGen AG. “We are convinced that our GlymaxX technology will make a significant contribution to develop powerful new antibodies against any diseases in which enhanced ADCC activity translates into therapeutic benefit.”
 
“The GlymaxX technology substantially improves the ADCC activity of one of our lead bispecific antibodies for the treatment of solid tumors so that it further enhances the tumor cell killing capacity of an already very potent molecule,” said Mark Throsby, chief scientific officer of Merus B.V.