arGEN-X Grants Licenses to Antibody Half-Life Extension Technology
arGEN-X recently announced the signing of its second non-exclusive license agreement for its antibody half-life extension technology, NHance. Both licenses granted to date are with companies dedicated to developing and commercializing antibody-based therapeutics with clear clinical benefits.
Under the terms of these agreements, arGEN-X receives upfront technology access and annual license maintenance fees, in addition to clinical milestone payments and tiered royalties on product sales. No further details are being disclosed.
“Since our recent launch of NHance, we have witnessed considerable interest from companies seeking to develop antibody therapeutics with best-in-class attributes,” said Tim Van Hauwermeiren, CEO of arGEN-X. “As a novel, validated approach to optimizing antibody pharmacokinetics, NHance delivers longer drug residence times in the body, enabling less-frequent subcutaneous dosing, improved patient convenience, and attractive pharmacoeconomics. In addition to applying NHance to our own pipeline programs, we intend to exploit our unique IP position by commercializing the technology both through arms-length licensing and broader antibody discovery collaborations. We are therefore pleased to enter into these agreements and fully expect to generate further NHance partnerships in the future.”
NHance is an arGEN-X proprietary technology capable of increasing the half-life of a therapeutic antibody in the human systemic circulation. NHance achieves this through two specific mutations in the antibody Fc region (at His433 and Asn434), resulting in an improved affinity of antibody binding to the neonatal Fc receptor at acidic pH. This receptor is responsible for recycling the antibody within the human body. Enhanced antibody serum levels resulting from prolonged half-life may lead to a higher therapeutic effect, lower material requirements for the same therapeutic effect, and/or reduced dosing frequency. The technology may also further enhance antibody transport across mucosal barriers, enabling alternative routes of antibody product administration.
arGEN-X is a clinical-stage human therapeutic antibody company that is rapidly developing a product pipeline using its unique suite of antibody technologies. arGEN-X is creating first- and best-in-class antibody therapeutics with highly differentiated target product profiles. For more information, visit www.arGEN-X.com.
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