Kymab, MD Anderson form cancer drug discovery and development alliance

The alliance seeks to discover and develop novel human therapeutic antibodies to treat a variety of cancers.

Kymouse – Kymab’s human antibody discovery platform – has unparalleled diversity as it yields antibodies with highly attractive drug-like properties, and is able to rapidly identify and enrich rare high-quality molecules that can be explored as novel therapeutics.

The agreement will utilize each partner’s complementary skills, resources and capabilities to develop innovative new drugs for cancer. The collaboration will combine Kymab’s industry-leading antibody platform, in-house discovery and development experience together with MD Anderson’s novel target biology, clinical datasets, translational and clinical infrastructure to develop products to clinical proof of concept and ultimately for submission for FDA approval.

The collaboration will focus on developing novel monoclonal antibodies as well as on identifying biomarkers for identification of responder populations. The agreement is for an initial period of five years.

Kymab chairman and CEO David Chiswell said: "Together, Kymab and MD Anderson bring power and skills to a partnership committed to efficiency and speed in delivering novel immunotherapies through the use of world-class science. Immuno-oncology is an exceptionally promising field of research and a key focus for Kymab."

ORBIT executive director Carlo Toniatti said: "These are exciting times for the development of monoclonal antibodies for cancer immunotherapy. This alliance presents a great opportunity to leverage our translational and clinical expertise, and develop innovative antibody drugs vital to helping patients in their fight against cancer."