Chromos Signs Agreement with AppTec
Chromos Molecular Systems Inc. has signed a contract with AppTec Laboratory Services Inc. for scale-up and manufacture of its monoclonal antibody drug product candidate CHR-1103.
Chromos has used its proprietary ACE System to engineer cell lines for CHR-1103; AppTec will scale up and manufacture CHR-1103 for use in preclinical toxicology studies and Phase I clinical trials.
"This contract is an important step forward in the development of CHR-1103," said Alistair Duncan, President and CEO of Chromos. "We are pleased to use our team's proven expertise in cell line engineering with the ACE System to develop our product candidates cost effectively and to work in partnership with AppTec to manufacture this innovative treatment for multiple sclerosis (MS)."
CHR-1103 is one of two drug product candidates gained through Chromos' acquisition of Targeted Molecules Corporation in February 2006. A humanized monoclonal antibody for the treatment of the inflammatory disease, CHR-1103 is being developed initially to treat acute flares associated with relapsing forms of MS.
The drug's unique mechanism of action has the potential to reduce the severity of a relapse and stem the residual neurological damage that often accompanies progression of the disease, positioning CHR-1103 to fill an unmet medical need for an effective acute treatment of MS.
Chromos plans to file an Investigational New Drug (IND) application for CHR-1103 in 2007. The Company's second product candidate, CHR-1201, is being developed to treat acute thrombosis and offers the possibility of effective treatment of thrombosis involving the brain without the risk of bleeding.
The ACE System is Chromos' proprietary platform for rapidly generating production-quality cell lines. The ACE System's performance, speed and versatility are key advantages for generating cell lines for research, development and manufacture of biopharmaceuticals.
