Our vision
Prothix focuses on protein biologics for inflammatory and coagulation disorders.
Product leads, discovered by the company or licensed in from academia, are selected based on medical need, potential markets and customer needs and mee a so-called niche-buster profile, i.e. they will be developed for niche indications to obtain clinical proof of concept, while having blockbuster promise for other indications.
Prothix will add value to these leads by executing preclinical proof of concept and early development studies. Prothix actively seeks cooperation or strategic alliances with academic groups and with companies to profile product candidates in a way that optimizes their commercial value.
Our portfolio
All products developed by Prothix are monoclonal antibody products.
These products can be developed along a similar trajectory, which includes humanization and deimmunazation, generation of manufacturing cell-lines and development of a manufacturing process.
1/4
PRO-01
PRO-01 is a novel anticoagulant drug for thromboembolic disorders. The competitive edge of this product is safety. In contrast to current anticoagulants extensive pharmacodynamic monitoring is not necessary because risk for bleeding side effects of PRO-01 is minimal.PRO-02
PRO-02 is a complement inhibitor and a novel anti-inflammatory product for antibody-mediated diseases and prevention of ischemia reperfusion damage. Several potential leads that block complement-mediated cytotoxicity of human cells sensitized with anti-HLA antibodies have been generated by Prothix.PRO-03
PRO-03 is a novel procoagulant product for bleeding disorders. PRO-03 will be first developed for hemophilia patients with inhibitors. PRO-03 has a unique mechanism of action among other procoaculant drugs such as NovoSeven, and in contrast to other procoagulant products can be given for prohpylaxis.PRO-04
PRO-04 is a novel anti-inflammatory compound that inhibits bradykinin formation. The compound has a unique mechanism of action and is developed for the treatment of different forms of angioedema.Management
Chief Executive Officer
Rene Verdonk, MD, MSc, MBA
Dr. Verdonk studied medicine at University of Leiden, epidemiology at Free University Amsterdam, strategic marketing at the Academy for Management of University of Groningen and business administration at the Rotterdam School of Management of Erasmus University Rotterdam. He has held key management roles in a number of biotech and pharmaceutical companies…
Chief Executive Officer
Rene Verdonk, MD, MSc, MBA
Dr. Verdonk studied medicine at University of Leiden, epidemiology at Free University Amsterdam, strategic marketing at the Academy for Management of University of Groningen and business administration at the Rotterdam School of Management of Erasmus University Rotterdam. He has held key management roles in a number of biotech and pharmaceutical companies. Initially, he acted as Assistant General Manager at AMR Pharm Holland B.V., a startup focusing on new oral contraceptive compounds development. Then he served as Head of Phase I Unit at the New Drug Development Office in Amsterdam, a branch of the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer committed to contract research and development of new anticancer compounds. Next, he joined Bayer B.V. first as Clinical Project Leader and later as Marketing Manager for diabetes products. From there he moved to a position at Bayer PLC in the UK, where he performed as European Business Strategist. Thereafter he joined Pharming N.V., and worked first as Director Product Portfolio Biotherapeutics and then Senior Director Product Development. Dr. Verdonk has ample experience in development of therapeutic proteins, relating to production technology and process, preclinical and clinical development, regulatory affairs, marketing and sales.
Scientific Officer
Scientific Officer: Prof. Cornelis Erik Hack, MD, PhD
Dr. Hack is an internationally renowned scientist and a seasoned business manager. His main research involves investigating the role of inflammation in human diseased, with particular attention to cytokines, complement, contact and coagulation systems and other mediators implicated in rheumatic and dermatologic diseased. He has strong trackrecord of conducting biochemical, preclinical…
Scientific Officer
Scientific Officer: Prof. Cornelis Erik Hack, MD, PhD
Dr. Hack is an internationally renowned scientist and a seasoned business manager. His main research involves investigating the role of inflammation in human diseases, with particular attention to cytokines, complement, contact and coagulation systems, and other mediators implicated in rheumatic and dermatologic diseases. He has a strong track-record of conducting biochemical, preclinical and clinical studies in this research field. Over the past, he has published more than 500 articles in peer-reviewed scientific journals and books on topics of inflammation, coagulation, and immunology. Dr. Hack is currently a professor at UMC Utrecht and a scientific advisory board member of Dutch Society for Angioedema. He has held a number of high-rank positions in both industry and academia. He was Senior Vice President of Protein R&D and Head of Protein Biologics at Crucell N.V.; Head of Department of Immunopathology at Sanguin; Founder and Scientific Director of VitaLeech N.V.; Principle Consultant at Genmab B.V.; Professor of Pathophsiology of Innate Immune System at VUmc.
Recent studies & articles
Argenx announces expansion of pipeline
Argenx announces expansion of its pipeline with addition of complement-targeted ARGX-117 for treatment of severe autoimmune diseases
Collaboration with Argenx announced
Argenx announces collaboration with Broteio Pharma to develop therapeutic antibody for severe autoimmune diseases
Eurostars subsidy awarded
Eurostars grant awarded to international consortium including Abzena company, Antitope, for development of novel treatment for clotting disorders
LSH-TKI grant awarded
Prothix and Bioceros – through their affiliated company Broteio Pharma B.V. – and University Medical Center Utrecht receive a grant to develop anticomplement factor monoclonal antibody.
Argenx announces expansion of pipeline
Argenx announces expansion of its pipeline with addition of complement-targeted ARGX-117 for treatment of severe autoimmune diseases
Potential for ARGX-117 to have synergistic effect with lead autoimmune compound ARGX-113
March 22, 2018
Breda, the Netherlands/Ghent, Belgium - argenx (Euronext & Nasdaq: ARGX), a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing a deep pipeline of differentiated antibody-based therapies for the treatment of severe autoimmune diseases and cancer, today announced the addition of a new pipeline candidate, ARGX-117, targeting the complement cascade with therapeutic potential in autoantibody-mediated indications.
ARGX-117 is a highly differentiated therapeutic antibody equipped with argenx’s proprietary
Fc engineering technology NHance® that addresses a novel target in the classic pathway of the complement cascade. With a potentially differentiated mechanism of action, ARGX-117 represents a broad pipeline opportunity across several autoantibody-mediated indications and may have a synergistic effect with lead autoimmune compound ARGX-113.
“We obtained the rights to ARGX-117 as part of our Innovative Access Program through which we identified the groundbreaking work on this antibody with Broteio Pharma. The mechanism of action of ARGX-117 may allow us to explore its potential benefit across a range of complement-mediated indications. In addition, ARGX-117 may synergize with our lead autoimmune compound ARGX-113, targeting FcRn in order to clear pathogenic immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies, while our new complement-targeted antibody can also address immunoglobulin M (IgM)-mediated autoimmune diseases,” commented Tim Van Hauwermeiren, CEO of argenx. “We continue to execute on our pipeline strategy to seek out candidates that emerge from exciting science, enhance them with our platform technologies and bring them into development in an orphan indication. ARGX-117 represents a potential pipeline-in-a-product of treatments for orphan indications.”
Argenx and Broteio launched a collaboration in 2017 to conduct research, with support from the University of Utrecht, to demonstrate preclinical proof-of-concept of the mechanism of ARGX-117. As part of the collaboration agreement, argenx has exercised the exclusive option to license the program and assumed responsibility for further development and commercialization. Financial terms will not be disclosed.
About the Innovative Access Program
Through our Innovative Access Program (IAP), we bring our antibody discovery technologies to the heart of novel target research through close collaboration with academic experts and small biotech companies. The IAP allows our collaborators to use our technologies to unravel the functions of novel proteins in disease. In return, we receive early access to targets with therapeutic relevance and the potential to become the next therapeutic antibody programs in our pipeline.
Role of complement in autoimmune diseases
The classical pathway of the complement system is composed of a series of proteins that are activated when IgG or IgM autoantibodies bind to their targets. This mechanism contributes to tissue damage and organ dysfunction in a number of autoimmune inflammatory diseases. The ARGX-117 target is key in the lysis of antibody-decorated cells and is active when an immune reaction is taking place. ARGX-117 has therapeutic potential in orphan and large population autoimmune indications. The preclinical development work on ARGX-117 is done in close collaboration with Prof. E. Hack (UCM Utrecht, Laboratory for Translational Immunology).
About Broteio
Based in Utrecht, the Netherlands, Broteio Pharma B.V. (Broteio) was a joint venture between Prothix B.V. and Bioceros Holding B.V. established to develop anti-complement monoclonal antibodies.
About argenx
argenx is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing a deep pipeline of differentiated antibody-based therapies for the treatment of severe autoimmune diseases and cancer. We are focused on developing product candidates with the potential to be either first-in-class against novel targets or best-in-class against known, but complex, targets in order to treat diseases with a significant unmet medical need. Our ability to execute on this focus is enabled by our suite of differentiated technologies. Our SIMPLE AntibodyTM Platform, based on the powerful llama immune system, allows us to exploit novel and complex targets, and our three antibody engineering technologies are designed to enable us to expand the therapeutic index of our product candidates.
www.argenx.com
Potential for ARGX-117 to have synergistic effect with lead autoimmune compound ARGX-113
March 22, 2018
Breda, the Netherlands/Ghent, Belgium - argenx (Euronext & Nasdaq: ARGX), a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing a deep pipeline of differentiated antibody-based therapies for the treatment of severe autoimmune diseases and cancer, today announced the addition of a new pipeline candidate, ARGX-117, targeting the complement cascade with therapeutic potential in autoantibody-mediated indications.
ARGX-117 is a highly differentiated therapeutic antibody equipped with argenx’s proprietary
Fc engineering technology NHance® that addresses a novel target in the classic pathway of the complement cascade. With a potentially differentiated mechanism of action, ARGX-117 represents a broad pipeline opportunity across several autoantibody-mediated indications and may have a synergistic effect with lead autoimmune compound ARGX-113.
“We obtained the rights to ARGX-117 as part of our Innovative Access Program through which we identified the groundbreaking work on this antibody with Broteio Pharma. The mechanism of action of ARGX-117 may allow us to explore its potential benefit across a range of complement-mediated indications. In addition, ARGX-117 may synergize with our lead autoimmune compound ARGX-113, targeting FcRn in order to clear pathogenic immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies, while our new complement-targeted antibody can also address immunoglobulin M (IgM)-mediated autoimmune diseases,” commented Tim Van Hauwermeiren, CEO of argenx. “We continue to execute on our pipeline strategy to seek out candidates that emerge from exciting science, enhance them with our platform technologies and bring them into development in an orphan indication. ARGX-117 represents a potential pipeline-in-a-product of treatments for orphan indications.”
Argenx and Broteio launched a collaboration in 2017 to conduct research, with support from the University of Utrecht, to demonstrate preclinical proof-of-concept of the mechanism of ARGX-117. As part of the collaboration agreement, argenx has exercised the exclusive option to license the program and assumed responsibility for further development and commercialization. Financial terms will not be disclosed.
About the Innovative Access Program
Through our Innovative Access Program (IAP), we bring our antibody discovery technologies to the heart of novel target research through close collaboration with academic experts and small biotech companies. The IAP allows our collaborators to use our technologies to unravel the functions of novel proteins in disease. In return, we receive early access to targets with therapeutic relevance and the potential to become the next therapeutic antibody programs in our pipeline.
Role of complement in autoimmune diseases
The classical pathway of the complement system is composed of a series of proteins that are activated when IgG or IgM autoantibodies bind to their targets. This mechanism contributes to tissue damage and organ dysfunction in a number of autoimmune inflammatory diseases. The ARGX-117 target is key in the lysis of antibody-decorated cells and is active when an immune reaction is taking place. ARGX-117 has therapeutic potential in orphan and large population autoimmune indications. The preclinical development work on ARGX-117 is done in close collaboration with Prof. E. Hack (UCM Utrecht, Laboratory for Translational Immunology).
About Broteio
Based in Utrecht, the Netherlands, Broteio Pharma B.V. (Broteio) was a joint venture between Prothix B.V. and Bioceros Holding B.V. established to develop anti-complement monoclonal antibodies.
About argenx
argenx is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing a deep pipeline of differentiated antibody-based therapies for the treatment of severe autoimmune diseases and cancer. We are focused on developing product candidates with the potential to be either first-in-class against novel targets or best-in-class against known, but complex, targets in order to treat diseases with a significant unmet medical need. Our ability to execute on this focus is enabled by our suite of differentiated technologies. Our SIMPLE AntibodyTM Platform, based on the powerful llama immune system, allows us to exploit novel and complex targets, and our three antibody engineering technologies are designed to enable us to expand the therapeutic index of our product candidates.
www.argenx.com
Collaboration with Argenx announced
Argenx announces collaboration with Broteio Pharma to develop therapeutic antibody for severe autoimmune diseases
Breda, the Netherlands/Ghent, Belgium - argenx (Euronext Brussels: ARGX), a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing a deep pipeline of differentiated antibody-based therapies for the treatment of severe autoimmune diseases and cancer, today announced that it has entered into a new collaboration with Broteio Pharma B.V. to develop an antibody against a novel target in the complement cascade with therapeutic potential in autoantibody- and complement-mediated indications including autoimmune haemolytic anaemia (AIHA) and antibody mediated rejection (AMR) following organ transplantation.
“This collaboration represents the latest success for our Innovative Access Program and aligns with our corporate mission to develop differentiated antibodies for cancer and severe autoimmune diseases. The novel antibody targets a component of the complement cascade with therapeutic potential in both orphan and large market indications like Ischemia/Reperfusion Injuries (IRI),” comments Tim Van Hauwermeiren, CEO of argenx. “This new therapeutic antibody has the potential to act alongside our lead product candidate ARGX-113 in a synergistic fashion. ARGX-113 targets FcRn in order to clear pathogenic IgG antibodies while our new complement-targeted antibody can also address IgM mediated autoimmune diseases. This transaction positions us to further build out the depth and breadth of our autoimmune disease pipeline.”
Under the terms of the agreement, argenx and Broteio will jointly develop the complement-targeted antibody to establish preclinical proof-of-concept using argenx’s proprietary suite of technologies. Upon successful completion of these studies, argenx may exercise an exclusive option to license the program and assume responsibility for further development and commercialization.
About the Innovative Access Program
Through our Innovative Access Program (IAP) argenx is able to serially collaborate closely with academic experts and small biotech companies, bringing antibody discovery technologies to the heart of novel target research. The IAP allows our partners use of our technologies for the development of antibodies to help validate novel targets. In return argenx is granted early access to these targets. The diversity of argenx’s SIMPLE AntibodyTM immune repertoires help streamline target validation, with the potential to transform novel proteins into next generation therapeutic antibody programs.
Role of complement in auto-immune diseases
The classical pathway of the complement system is composed of a series of proteins that are activated when IgG or IgM (auto)antibodies bind to their targets. This mechanism contributes to tissue damage and organ dysfunction in a number of (auto)immune inflammatory diseases. The novel complement target is key in the lysis of antibody-decorated cells and is active when an immune reaction is taking place. The novel antibody has therapeutic potential in orphan and large population autoimmune indications including autoimmune haemolytic anaemia (AIHA) and antibody mediated rejection (AMR).
About Broteio
Based in Utrecht, the Netherlands, Broteio Pharma B.V. (“Broteio”) is a joint venture between Prothix B.V. and Bioceros Holding B.V. established to develop anti-complement monoclonal antibodies.
About argenx
Argenx is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing a deep pipeline of differentiated antibody-based therapies for the treatment of severe auto-immune diseases and cancer. We are focused on developing product candidates with the potential to be either first-in-class against novel targets or best-in-class against known, but complex, targets in order to treat diseases with a significant unmet medical need. Our ability to execute on this focus is enabled by our suite of differentiated technologies. Our SIMPLE AntibodyTM Platform, based on the powerful llama immune system, allows us to exploit novel and complex targets, and our three antibody engineering technologies are designed to enable us to expand the therapeutic index of our product candidates. www.argenx.com
For further information, please contact:
Joke Comijn, Corporate Communications and Investor Relations Manager
+32 (0)477 77 29 44
+32 (0)9 310 34 19
info@argenx.com
Beth DelGiacco (US IR), Stern Investor Relations
+1 212 362 1200
beth@sternir.com
- Differentiated antibody to address complement target
- Represents latest collaboration to stem from the argenx Innovative Access Program
- Argenx granted option to license program after preclinical proof-of-concept
Breda, the Netherlands/Ghent, Belgium - argenx (Euronext Brussels: ARGX), a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing a deep pipeline of differentiated antibody-based therapies for the treatment of severe autoimmune diseases and cancer, today announced that it has entered into a new collaboration with Broteio Pharma B.V. to develop an antibody against a novel target in the complement cascade with therapeutic potential in autoantibody- and complement-mediated indications including autoimmune haemolytic anaemia (AIHA) and antibody mediated rejection (AMR) following organ transplantation.
“This collaboration represents the latest success for our Innovative Access Program and aligns with our corporate mission to develop differentiated antibodies for cancer and severe autoimmune diseases. The novel antibody targets a component of the complement cascade with therapeutic potential in both orphan and large market indications like Ischemia/Reperfusion Injuries (IRI),” comments Tim Van Hauwermeiren, CEO of argenx. “This new therapeutic antibody has the potential to act alongside our lead product candidate ARGX-113 in a synergistic fashion. ARGX-113 targets FcRn in order to clear pathogenic IgG antibodies while our new complement-targeted antibody can also address IgM mediated autoimmune diseases. This transaction positions us to further build out the depth and breadth of our autoimmune disease pipeline.”
Under the terms of the agreement, argenx and Broteio will jointly develop the complement-targeted antibody to establish preclinical proof-of-concept using argenx’s proprietary suite of technologies. Upon successful completion of these studies, argenx may exercise an exclusive option to license the program and assume responsibility for further development and commercialization.
About the Innovative Access Program
Through our Innovative Access Program (IAP) argenx is able to serially collaborate closely with academic experts and small biotech companies, bringing antibody discovery technologies to the heart of novel target research. The IAP allows our partners use of our technologies for the development of antibodies to help validate novel targets. In return argenx is granted early access to these targets. The diversity of argenx’s SIMPLE AntibodyTM immune repertoires help streamline target validation, with the potential to transform novel proteins into next generation therapeutic antibody programs.
Role of complement in auto-immune diseases
The classical pathway of the complement system is composed of a series of proteins that are activated when IgG or IgM (auto)antibodies bind to their targets. This mechanism contributes to tissue damage and organ dysfunction in a number of (auto)immune inflammatory diseases. The novel complement target is key in the lysis of antibody-decorated cells and is active when an immune reaction is taking place. The novel antibody has therapeutic potential in orphan and large population autoimmune indications including autoimmune haemolytic anaemia (AIHA) and antibody mediated rejection (AMR).
About Broteio
Based in Utrecht, the Netherlands, Broteio Pharma B.V. (“Broteio”) is a joint venture between Prothix B.V. and Bioceros Holding B.V. established to develop anti-complement monoclonal antibodies.
About argenx
Argenx is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing a deep pipeline of differentiated antibody-based therapies for the treatment of severe auto-immune diseases and cancer. We are focused on developing product candidates with the potential to be either first-in-class against novel targets or best-in-class against known, but complex, targets in order to treat diseases with a significant unmet medical need. Our ability to execute on this focus is enabled by our suite of differentiated technologies. Our SIMPLE AntibodyTM Platform, based on the powerful llama immune system, allows us to exploit novel and complex targets, and our three antibody engineering technologies are designed to enable us to expand the therapeutic index of our product candidates. www.argenx.com
For further information, please contact:
Joke Comijn, Corporate Communications and Investor Relations Manager
+32 (0)477 77 29 44
+32 (0)9 310 34 19
info@argenx.com
Beth DelGiacco (US IR), Stern Investor Relations
+1 212 362 1200
beth@sternir.com
Eurostars subsidy awarded
Eurostars grant awarded to international consortium including Abzena company, Antitope, for development of novel treatment for clotting disorders
Abzena plc (AIM:ABZA), a life sciences group providing services and technologies to enable development and manufacture of biopharmaceutical products, announces that a grant for €1.9 million has been awarded under the Eurostars™ programme to a consortium that comprises its subsidiary, Antitope Limited, Dutch biopharmaceutical companies Prothix BV and Aristi Biotech BV, the University Medical Center Utrecht (UMCU, the Netherlands) and GenOway, a French company.
The consortium is developing a novel treatment for clotting disorders, targeting antithrombin III, a protein which inhibits blood clotting. Members will provide their know-how and expertise to produce humanised monoclonal antibody candidates that bind antithrombin III, undertake preclinical proof of concept studies and develop a cell line for the manufacture of the selected lead candidate. This novel antibody has the potential to both prevent and treat bleeding in patients with disorders such as haemophilia.
Neil Butt, VP Business Development, Abzena, said: “Applying our Composite Human Antibody™ technology to this novel product will help produce a less immunogenic version, giving it a greater chance of improving the lives of patients.”
René Verdonk, CEO, Prothix, commented: “We are very pleased to have been awarded another Eurostars™ grant to develop a product that could prevent severe bleeding in patients with haemophilia and look forward to working with the other consortium members again.”
Erik Hack, Professor of Immunology, UMCU, said: “This project not only emphasizes the value of the research work undertaken at UMCU, but also illustrates that valorisation of research results is important to UMCU. We are excited to be part of a consortium and look forward to seeing the preclinical proof of concept for this novel approach.”
Mark de Boer, CEO, Aristi, said: "We are keen to be able to bring our expertise in the early stage manufacture of monoclonal antibodies to this programme and to be involved in its preclinical development”.
Alexandre Fraichard, CEO, GenOway, said “We are pleased to be able to add our expertise in the development of preclinical disease models to this consortium of organisations with complementary technologies that will enable the development of a novel therapeutic product to improve the lives of patients.”
Enquiries:
Abzena plc John Burt, Chief Executive Officer Julian Smith, Chief Financial Officer
| +44 1223 903498
|
Instinctif Partners Melanie-Toyne Sewell / Rozi Morris
| +44 20 7457 2020 abzena@instinctif.com |
About Abzena
Abzena provides proprietary technologies and complementary services in the UK and US to enable the development and manufacture of biopharmaceutical products. The development of biopharmaceuticals is a growing area and requires specialist technology and expertise.
The Group comprises Antitope, PacificGMP, PolyTherics and TCRS, which between them have built a global customer base including the majority of the top 20 biopharmaceutical companies as well as large and small biotech companies and academic groups.
Antitope provides immunogenicity assessment, protein engineering to create humanized antibodies and deimmunised therapeutic proteins, and cell line development for manufacture.
PacificGMP provides contract process development and manufacture of biopharmaceuticals, including monoclonal antibodies, recombinant proteins, vaccines, and gene therapy and cell therapy products, for preclinical and clinical studies.
PolyTherics specializes in proprietary site-specific conjugation technologies for antibody drug conjugate development and solutions for optimizing the therapeutic properties of biopharmaceuticals.
TCRS is a contract chemistry and bioconjugation business focused on ADCs and is establishing the capability to manufacture ADCs to GMP standards.
Abzena (AIM: ABZA) has its main operations in Cambridge, UK, San Diego, CA, US and Bristol, Pennsylvania, US . For more information, please see www.abzena.com.
About Eurostars
Eurostars supports international innovative projects led by research and development- performing small- and medium-sized enterprises (R&D-performing SMEs). With its bottom-up approach, Eurostars supports the development of rapidly marketable innovative products, processes and services that help improve the daily lives of people around the world. Eurostars has been carefully developed to meet the specific needs of SMEs. It is an ideal first step in international cooperation, enabling small businesses to combine and share expertise and benefit from working beyond national borders.
About Aristi Biotech
Aristi Biotech is a Dutch contract research provider specialized in early antibody research and development activities. Aristi has a license to the CHOBC® platform to generate high quality and high titre manufacturing cell lines.
About genOway
genOway (ALTERNEXT-NYSE: ALGEN) is a biotechnology company developing genetically modified and high value-added research models for the bio-pharmaceutical, chemical, agrochemical and food industries as well as for academic research. With highly qualified scientific personnel, the company has a workforce of 90 people and operates in 28 countries in Europe, Asia and North America, supplying more than 275 customers. genOway has 15 years expertise in generating innovative models for drug discovery. It is a market leader in terms of both size and customer portfolios. The company’s development is founded upon both a broad and exclusive technology platform as well as strong intellectual property rights combining patents and licensing agreements.
About Prothix
Prothix is a Dutch biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of protein therapeutics in the field of coagulation and inflammation. Product leads, discovered by the company or licensed in from academia, are selected based on medical need, potential markets and customer needs and meet a so-called niche-buster profile, i.e. they will be developed for niche indications to obtain clinical proof of concept, while having blockbuster promise for other indications. Prothix adds value to these leads by executing preclinical proof of concept and early development studies.
About University Medical Center Utrecht (UMCU)
The UMCU is the main hospital in Utrecht and is affiliated with Utrecht University. It is one of the largest academic centres in the Netherlands with over 1,100 beds and more than 11,000 employees. The association with the University creates an environment where scientific advancements can move quickly from bench to bedside. The faculty of medicine at the University has over 3,500 bachelor and master students in medicine, biomedical sciences and clinical health sciences.
LSH-TKI grant awarded
Prothix and Bioceros – through their affiliated company Broteio Pharma B.V. – and University Medical Center Utrecht receive a grant to develop anticomplement factor monoclonal antibody.
Dutch Biotech companies Prothix B.V. (Leiden, The Netherlands) and Bioceros Holding B.V. (Utrecht, The Netherlands) together with UMC Utrecht, announce that they have been awarded a grant by LSH-TKI for a research project worth € 1.2 million for the pre-clinical development of a novel monoclonal antibody for treatment of Antibody Mediated Diseases (AMD), amongst which is Antibody Mediated Kidney rejection (AMR). The Dutch Kidney Foundation is, as a Health Fund, supporting this grant.
Dutch Biotech companies Prothix B.V. (Leiden, The Netherlands) and Bioceros Holding B.V. (Utrecht, The Netherlands) together with UMC Utrecht, announce that they have been awarded a grant by LSH-TKI for a research project worth € 1.2 million for the pre-clinical development of a novel monoclonal antibody for treatment of Antibody Mediated Diseases (AMD), amongst which is Antibody Mediated Kidney rejection (AMR). The Dutch Kidney Foundation is, as a Health Fund, supporting this grant.
Dr. Martine Hommes from the Dutch Kidney Foundation said: "The Dutch Kidney Foundation sees the importance of public-private partnerships in order to stimulate translational research. Our goal is to connect patient interests with good science. Furthermore, by publicprivate partnerships we hope that new therapies will more easily access the market and reach the patients. A new monoclonal antibody for the treatment of Antibody Mediated Kidney rejection (AMR), in order to prolong the survival of transplanted kidneys, will reduce the waiting time of patients waiting for a new kidney."
About Broteio Pharma B.V.
Broteio Pharma B.V. (Utrecht, the Netherlands) is a legal entity founded to develop the anticomplement monoclonal antibodies that were generated and selected by Prothix B.V. and Bioceros Holding B.V. Broteio Pharma is also the assignee of the Intellectual Property on the monoclonal antibodies. It is owned for 50% by Prothix B.V. and for 50% by shareholders from Bioceros Holding B.V.
René Verdonk (CEO of Prothix B.V.) and Bram Bout (CEO of Bioceros Holding B.V.) are managing directors of Broteio Pharma B.V.
About Bioceros Holding B.V.
Bioceros Holding B.V. is a biotech company offering services on early pre-clinical development of recombinant proteins, with an emphasis on monoclonal antibodies. Services include the generation of monoclonal antibodies in mice, generating high protein producing cell lines using its proprietary CHOBC® platform, process development, pre-clinical manufacturing at 50L scale and assay development. In addition, Bioceros is developing its own product pipeline, consisting of proprietary monoclonal antibodies. Early this year, Bioceros announced that it had granted to Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. exclusive worldwide rights to develop a monoclonal antibody directed at an immune checkpoint modulator. Bioceros is located in Utrecht, the Netherlands. For more information, please visit www.bioceros.com or contact: Tel: +31 (30) 253 7910 Email: info@bioceros.com
About Prothix B.V.
Prothix is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of protein therapeutics in the field of coagulation and inflammation. Prothix focuses on protein biologics for inflammatory and coagulation disorders. Product leads, discovered by the company or licensed in from academia, are selected based on medical need, potential markets and customer needs and meet a so-called niche-buster profile, i.e. they will be developed for niche indications to obtain clinical proof of concept, while having blockbuster promise for other indications. For more information, please visit www.prothix.com or contact: Tel: +31 (0) 6 202 77 623 Email: info@prothix.com
About Dutch Kidney Foundation
The Dutch Kidney Foundation (Nierstichting Nederland) is an independent non-profit health charity operating in the Netherlands. Its mission is to prevent kidney disease and improve the treatment for and quality of life of patients with kidney disease. Every year the DK raises approximately 16 mi euro funds for kidney research, education about kidney diseases for the broad public, support for the implementation of new treatments and social support for kidney patients via door-to-door fund raising, sponsored events, direct marketing and legacies. We work closely together with various stakeholders in the kidney care, such as patients, healthcare professionals and health insurance companies.
About LSH-TKI
The Life Science and Health – Topconsortium for Knowledge and Innovation (LSH-TKI) Foundation has realised the LSH Impuls programme. This programme aims to encourage new public-private partnerships, where Health funds and SMEs/companies to jointly invest in the valorisation of knowledge from scientific research. The call is performed by ZonMw and is being realised within the framework of the TKI regulation of the Ministry of Economic Affairs. More information is available at www.lshplaza.nl.
About University Medical Center Utrecht (UMCU, the Netherlands)
UMC Utrecht is one of the largest public healthcare institutions in the Netherlands. With almost 11,000 employees, UMC Utrecht is constantly building on the provision of good healthcare services, based on the right people and knowledge. UMC Utrecht aims to be an internationally leading university medical center, where knowledge about health, disease and healthcare is generated, tested, shared and applied. UMC Utrecht is one of the participating centers in the NFU which is the Dutch organization for University Medical Centers. The NFU is the result of a merger of the Netherland’s university hospitals and medical centers.