Retrogenix & Resonant Therapeutics Announce Strategic Alliance

Retrogenix and Resonant Therapeutics, Inc. recently announced they have entered into a non-exclusive strategic partnership to identify the targets of Resonant antibodies directed against the tumor microenvironment.

Resonant exploits its proprietary IMPaCT tumor microenvironment models and data platform to discover novel, unappreciated targets and functionally active anti-tumor antibodies for difficult to treat tumors.  By recapitulating the tumor microenvironment and using a live-cell, function-first approach, Resonant’s platform generates therapeutic candidates that would not be discovered by other methods with unprecedented speed. The target screening performed by Retrogenix will focus on hundreds of novel, prioritized antibodies in Resonant’s collection.

Targets within the tumor microenvironment may include both plasma membrane proteins as well as proteins typically secreted into the extracellular space. Retrogenix’s extensive library of human proteins make it uniquely placed for assessing candidate antibodies for target binding.

Jo Soden, Co-managing Director of Retrogenix, said “We look forward to working with Resonant to deconvolute the targets for their antibodies. Resonant’s innovative platform is delivering functional therapeutic candidates at rapid pace and we welcome the opportunity to identify the specific, biologically-relevant targets which will help progress these leads towards promising new therapies for patients with cancer.”

Dr. John K. Westwick, CEO of Resonant, added “Resonant has created a platform for rapid generation of novel anti-tumor antibody candidates. Our previous work with Retrogenix validated their technology as a uniquely powerful approach for antibody target deconvolution, and we look forward to working with Retrogenix to enhance our growing pipeline of antibody candidates.”

Retrogenix’s proprietary cell microarray technology provides a fast, accurate and effective solution for determining the primary target and secondary target (off-target) activities of antibodies, proteins, cell therapies, small molecules and viruses. Microarrays of over 5,500 plasma membrane and secreted protein targets are expressed in human cells. Physiologically relevant interactions with test molecules or protein ligands can be identified with high sensitivity and specificity. The technology supports breakthroughs in medical research and is widely used by major global pharmaceutical companies to advance drug discovery & development and provide data to support regulatory submissions. Retrogenix holds two Queen’s Awards for Enterprise, the UK’s most prestigious acknowledgement of business performance. The company is headquartered near Manchester, UK, and has an office in Cambridge, MA. For more information, visit  www.retrogenix.com.

Resonant’s platform enables simultaneous discovery of novel targets and high-affinity, functional antibodies with unprecedented speed. Resonant combines high-dimensional assays and deep data analysis to generate and prioritize extensive antibody libraries. This allows the company to move rapidly from model-based investigation to therapeutic candidate, saving years of development time. Ultimately, this will bring novel therapies to patients faster. Resonant Therapeutics is based in Houston, TX, at Johnson and Johnson Innovation, JLABS (JLABS@TMC), a premier life science incubator program. Resonant has received institutional funding from Mercury Fund (Houston) and MINTS (Ann Arbor, MI). For more information, visit www.resonantrx.com.