PolyTherics & TUBE Pharma Form Development Collaboration

PolyTherics Limited and TUBE Pharma GmbH recently announced they are collaborating to produce reagents to link novel cytotoxic drugs developed by TUBE to antibodies using PolyTherics’ proprietary ThioBridge conjugation technology for the production of better antibody drug conjugates (ADCs).

TUBE has developed a series of proprietary synthetic tubulin-binding agents, referred to as cytolysins, which have been shown to be effective against a range of cancer cell lines, including drug-resistant cancer cells. Cytolysins rapidly trigger cell death and, conjugated to small molecules, polymers, proteins, and peptides, they have shown significant efficacy in preclinical models of cancer.

PolyTherics has developed ThioBridge, a site-specific conjugation technology, to attach cytotoxic payloads to whole antibodies, antibody fragments and other scaffolds. ThioBridge enables the production of ADCs with reduced heterogeneity and very good stability compared with alternative conjugation methods.

PolyTherics and TUBE can undertake feasibility studies for companies interested in evaluating ThioBridge with a cytolysin payload or the ThioBridge-cytolysin reagent can be supplied for companies to evaluate in-house.

“We are delighted to be collaborating with TUBE as the ThioBridge-cytolysin reagents will provide a new option for companies developing the next generation of antibody drug conjugates,” said John Burt, CEO of PolyTherics.

“TUBE has generated several classes of highly potent tubulysin analogues – the cytolysins – which have shown an excellent anti-cancer effect and safety profile in preclinical studies undertaken by us and our licensees,” added Wolfgang Richter, Managing Director of TUBE Pharma. “I am delighted to be working with PolyTherics to generate ThioBridge-cytolysin reagents for conjugation to antibodies.”

PolyTherics provides technology solutions to enable the development of better biopharmaceuticals and offers a portfolio of proprietary and complementary technologies and services to address key needs in biopharmaceutical development. PolyTherics’ portfolio of services and technologies includes proprietary site-specific conjugation technologies and novel polymers for optimizing the therapeutic properties of biopharmaceuticals and through its Cambridge, UK-based subsidiary, Antitope, services for protein immunogenicity assessment and antibody and protein re-engineering technologies are delivered. The group provides its services and technologies to an international client base that includes most of the world’s leading biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies. For more information, visit www.polytherics.com.

TUBE Pharmaceutical is dedicated to the development of powerful anti-cancer drugs derived from natural products. The company is developing a pipeline of synthetic compounds that can be readily modified to couple them to almost any kind of carrier, including antibodies, peptides, and polymers, so that they can be delivered to their site of action. For more information, www.tubepharma.de.