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Albumedix announces exclusive commercialization agreement with ThioLogics for its proprietary drug conjugation platform

16 February 2016

Combining ThioLogics’ site-specific conjugation chemistry with Albumedix’s drug delivery platform enables the creation of next-generation albumin drug conjugates

Albumedix today announced new data that supports an exclusive agreement with ThioLogics, a UCL Business (UCLB) company, to commercialize the next generation of stable albumin drug conjugates. The data demonstrates the serum stability advantages achieved by combining Albumedix’s albumin-based drug delivery technology, Veltis®, with ThioLogics’ site-specific Next Generation Maleimide (NGM) chemistry platform, allowing significant improvements in cost of goods compared to conventional maleimide conjugation approaches.

Albumedix’s agreement with ThioLogics unites its modified recombinant human albumin Veltis technology, with ThioLogics’ site-specific NGM chemistry platform, to create serum stable albumin drug conjugates with enhanced pharmacokinetic and delivery capabilities. The new data indicates that the linking of the two platforms improves stability profiles in vivo for both natural and synthesized peptides and small molecules, with the potential for an enhanced safety profile and, therefore, increased patient compliance for drug products. Additionally, the data reveals that no losses are observed during controlled hydrolysis when using the technology to produce albumin drug conjugates in vitro (Org. Biomol. Chem., 2015, 13, 7946-7949).

Combining the benefits of Albumedix’s and ThioLogics’ technology platforms through this commercialization agreement allows us to jointly offer customers new capabilities to design stable and efficacious products across a broad-spectrum of drug candidates“, said Dr Dave Mead, Business Development Director at Albumedix. “With an exclusive licensing agreement now in place, we look forward to working with our customers to show what can be achieved through this novel technology to link drugs to albumin.

We are delighted to have formalized our exclusive marketing agreement with Albumedix, and to be making the promises of this combined technology platform a reality for our customers“, commented Dr Chris Williams, Senior Business Manager at UCLB. “Together we have made it possible for manufacturers to harness the advantages of serum stable drug conjugates with tailored pharmacokinetics, helping to maximize the potential of novel drugs.”

Securing the Albumedix agreement is a major validation of Thiologics’ novel technology which has the potential to revolutionize the assembly of next generation biologics“, said Cengiz Tarhan, Managing Director of UCLB.

Albumedix and Thiologics will present the new data at the One Nucleus Innovation Day on 24 February 2016, Chesterford Research Park, Cambridge, UK. To register, please visit: http://www.onenucleus.com/onenucleus-events?id=971

For further information, please visit: www.albumedix.com

About Albumedix
Albumedix helps biopharmaceutical companies improve patient outcomes with a range of albumin-based products and technologies that facilitate the development of superior biotherapeutics.

Albumedix develops albumin-based products and technologies for advanced drug and vaccine formulation, extended drug half-life and improved drug delivery. Our products and technologies are used in clinical and marketed drugs and out-licensed to pharmaceutical and biotech companies worldwide. With over 25 years’ experience in the biopharmaceutical industry, we have the scientific, technical and regulatory expertise needed to support companies in moving faster to market with superior biotherapeutics. We also use this expertise to strengthen our own drug pipeline. Albumedix is a global company and fully owned subsidiary of Novozymes.

For further information, please visit: www.albumedix.com

About Thiologics
Thiologics is a UCL Business PLC (UCLB) wholly owned company spun-out of UCL Chemistry.  The company aims to commercialise new bioconjugation technologies developed in the laboratories of Professor Stephen Caddick, Dr Vijay Chudasama and Dr James Baker. ThioLogics is particularly focused on delivering technology that will enable the construction of homogeneous antibody-drug conjugate therapeutics (ADCs).

For further information, please contact Dr Chris Williams, Business Development Manager, c.williams@thiologics.com or visit: www.ThioLogics.com

About UCL Business PLC
UCL Business PLC (UCLB) is a leading technology transfer company that supports and commercialises research and innovations arising from UCL, one of the UK’s top research-led universities. UCLB has a successful track record and a strong reputation for identifying and protecting promising new technologies and innovations from UCL academics. UCLB has a strong track record in commercialising medical technologies and provides technology transfer services to UCL’s associated hospitals; University College London Hospitals, Moorfields Eye Hospital, Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children and the Royal Free London Hospital. It invests directly in development projects to maximise the potential of the research and manages the commercialisation process of technologies from laboratory to market.

For further information, please visit www.uclb.com

Contacts:
Albumedix
Jonas Skjødt Møller
JSQM@albumedix.com
+45 4446 2227
+45 3077 2227

Press Contact
Michelle Valentine
Discovery PR
michelle@discovery-pr.com
+44 (0)1606 889194