IONTAS & Adaptate Biotherapeutics Enter Collaboration Agreement

IONTAS Limited recently announced it has entered into a collaboration agreement with Adaptate Biotherapeutics to generate and optimize antibodies for novel immuno-oncology targets, including access to IONTAS’ proprietary Mammalian Display technology to select antibodies with optimal biophysical properties.

IONTAS’ proprietary technology enables the construction of large libraries of stable cell lines displaying human antibodies on their surface. As well as generating an abundance of therapeutic antibody leads, the technology also addresses “developability” issues early in discovery; increasing the likelihood of successful progress through the development process. Under the terms of the collaboration, the project provides Adaptate Biotherapeutics with access to IONTAS’ proprietary Mammalian Display technology, allowing the selection of high affinity antibodies based on their function, stability, expression, and developability, thereby facilitating a speedy transition through Chemistry, Manufacturing and Controls (CMC) and eventual manufacturing.

Dr. John McCafferty, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of IONTAS, said “Recently spun out of GammaDelta Therapeutics, Adaptate Biotherapeutics is already a leading company in the field of gamma delta T cell therapeutics and it is a privilege to be working with such an innovative team. This collaboration is further validation of our platform, including our Mammalian Display technology, and adds to an expanding portfolio of partners that enjoy the benefit of combining selection for affinity with developability during the initial steps of drug discovery. Subsequently, the resulting panels of developable antibodies facilitate manufacture and reduce the risk of delays and potential product failure by detecting and avoiding problematic clones at the outset. Our aim is to ensure the right lead is selected first time, every time.”

Dr. Natalie Mount, Chief Executive Officer of Adaptate Biotherapeutics, added “IONTAS has developed an impressive track record in delivering therapeutic antibodies. We selected them as our partner because of their extensive experience in overcoming antibody project challenges using their industry-leading platforms. We anticipate that the combination of IONTAS’ antibody discovery capabilities and our innovative approach to gamma delta T cell-targeted therapeutics will facilitate the accelerated entry of our oncology portfolio to the clinic.”

IONTAS is a biotechnology company focused on antibody discovery and cutting-edge technology development. IONTAS offers services for antibody discovery using Phage Display Technology and Mammalian Display. The innovative Mammalian Display platform enables full length antibodies to be expressed in the context of a mammalian cell, thereby allowing selection based on function, stability, expression and developability. IONTAS has also developed a novel “KnotBody” format which facilitates the targeting of antibodies to ion channels, GPCRs and proteases. For more information, visit www.iontas.co.uk.

Adaptate Biotherapeutics is a preclinical stage immunotherapy company which spun-out from GammaDelta Therapeutics in 2019. Adaptate Biotherapeutics is focused on developing therapeutic antibodies to drug targets to modulate the activity of gamma delta T cells. Adaptate Biotherapeutics has received investment from Abingworth and Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited with support from King’s College London, the Francis Crick Institute and Cancer Research Technology. For more information, visit www.adaptatebiotx.com.