Cambridge Antibody Technology And Philochem Announce Technology Evaluation Agreement

16 April

Cambridge, UK and Zurich, Switzerland…Cambridge Antibody Technology (CAT) and Philochem AG today announce that they have signed a technology evaluation agreement for Philochem to apply its proprietary DNA-encoded libraries to the discovery of low molecular weight compounds against three undisclosed targets of pharmaceutical interest.

Philochem will use its Encoded Self-Assembling Chemical (ESAC) Libraries, in which chemical pharmacophores (structural features of a molecule that determine its biological activity) are displayed on DNA that contains an associated tag sequence and is selected by binding to protein targets. Chemical pharmacophores are thereby isolated and identified by their associated DNA tag. This technology is, therefore, analogous to the Phage and Ribosome Display technology used at CAT to develop therapeutic antibodies, in simultaneously selecting the binding molecule and its encoding sequence.

The study will provide CAT with an evaluation of this extension of display technology beyond selection of macromolecules to identification of low molecular weight compounds capable of specific binding to protein targets of pharmaceutical interest, leading to an assessment of its potential to generate leads for small molecule drugs.

The terms of this agreement are not being disclosed.

-ENDS-

Notes to Editors

  Cambridge Antibody Technology (CAT):

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• Cambridge Antibody Technology (CAT) is a biopharmaceutical company using its capabilities and technologies in the discovery and development of new and innovative antibody medicines in selected therapeutic areas to bring improvements to seriously ill patients’ lives.
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• CAT is a leader in the discovery and development of human therapeutic antibodies and has an
      advanced proprietary platform technology for rapidly isolating human monoclonal antibodies using phage display and ribosome display systems. CAT has extensive phage antibody libraries, currently incorporating more than 100 billion distinct antibodies. These libraries form the basis for the Company’s strategy to develop a portfolio of antibody-based drugs.
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• CAT is part of the AstraZeneca group of companies.
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• CAT employs over 300 people and is based near Cambridge, UK and in Palo Alto, USA.

Philochem AG

• Philochem is the Zurich-based daughter company of Philogen, focusing on the discovery of targets and small chemical ligands of pharmaceutical interest.
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• Philochem holds the exclusive worldwide license for Encoded Self Assembling Chemical (ESAC) Libraries that comprises a new technology to make and screen chemical libraries (patent Application WO03/076943).
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• Philogen is a leader in the vascular targeting of angiogenesis-related disease, and in ligand and target discovery.
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• Philogen employs around 40 people and is based in Siena, Italy
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• For more information: www.philogen.com