Roche and Epitomics Enter Into Monoclonal Antibody Technology Research Agreement

Roche and Epitomics, Inc. have announced a research agreement granting Roche a license to Epitomics' rabbit monoclonal antibody technology (RabMab technology) for the discovery and development of monoclonal antibodies to treat cancer and other diseases.

In a departure from conventional methods of biological drug discovery, which use mouse antibodies, Epitomics' approach utilizes monoclonal antibodies from rabbits, potentially improving the quality and efficiency of drug discovery.

Epitomics will receive event payments and future royalties on worldwide sales of products developed from RabMab technology.

“We are very pleased that Roche has chosen Epitomics as a partner to enhance its drug discovery program,” said Dr. Guo-Liang Yu, CEO and President of Epitomics, Inc.

“Our agreement with Roche is a solid validation of RabMab technology by a large pharma partner.”

“RabMabs represent a new approach for the development of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies.”

“Its advantages include ultra-high affinity, novel epitope recognition and ease of validation in preclinical studies.”

“Roche believes that innovation is driven by truly differentiated scientific and technological approaches to medicine,” said Klaus Strein, Roche's Head of Pharma Research, Penzberg, Germany.

“In line with our Therapeutic Protein Initiative, this partnership offers a progressive and complementary approach to biologic drug discovery.”