Accelerating the development of highly specific antibodies against pHLA targets to fight cancer.
– The development of highly specific T cell engagers directed against pHLA tumor targets will be quick and easy.
– BioCopy’s innovative pHLA screening technology characterizes drug candidates in great depth for their specific binding against the desired pHLA tumor target.
– YUMAB develops highly specific antibodies with their advanced antibody technologies. The antibodies specifically bind to tumor-associated pHLA complexes and thus mark cancer cells for the elimination by the immune system.
Emmendingen / Braunschweig, September, 2023
The greatest challenge in oncology today is to destroy cancer cells as precisely as possible without affecting healthy tissue. The focus is on short protein sequences (peptides) presented on the surface of tumor cells by an HLA protein. These pHLA complexes represent attractive targets for innovative immunotherapies. They are the new hope for curing cancer. pHLA complexes are biologically highly specific and difficult peptide. The challenge is to target them as accurately as possible with the right antibody.
The goal of the collaboration is to establish a new powerful platform – named safeTY-engager® – to accelerate the development of T-cell engagers. T-cell engagers are bi-specific antibodies that bring T-cells close to tumor cells for targeted killing. They have to bind highly specific and without side effects to the chosen pHLA tumor target as well as to the T-cell. Only when they connect to both, the tumor will be destroyed.
The project is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) with a total of EUR 1.1 million.
BioCopy GmbH and YUMAB GmbH combine their core competencies. BioCopy’s screening technology plays the key role in characterizing potential drug candidates regarding their specific binding to pHLA tumor targets. With the BioCopy technology the complex selection and optimization process of promising drug candidates can be accelerated and monitored. YUMAB has extensive expertise in the development and engineering of therapeutic antibodies. With its unique recombinant technology platform, antibody drugs can be developed from target to optimized lead candidate for the clinic within a short time.
Through this collaboration, BioCopy and YUMAB combine their technologies and expertise to achieve new levels of efficiency for the development of immuno-oncology therapeutics in the emerging field of pHLA tumor targets.
Funding Details
– Funding Institution: German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)
– Reference: 16LW0340K
– Project Title: „safeTY-engager“
– Funding Volume: EUR 1.1 million
About BioCopy
BioCopy GmbH is a multinational company headquartered in Switzerland with a state-of-the-art research and development facility in Germany. BioCopy focuses on immuno-oncology drug development using their unique platform technology based on extensive expertise in microarray customization, binding kinetics, and bioinformatics. BioCopy’s experts are working continuously on improving the proprietary screening technology for the characterization of immune responses of TCR(m)-based immuno-oncology drug candidates.
About YUMAB
YUMAB GmbH was founded in 2012 by scientists of the Technical University of Braunschweig and currently employs more than 30 people. The research company develops therapeutic antibodies from target to optimized lead candidate for biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies around the world. With a unique technology platform in the hands of experienced experts, YUMAB generates value by delivering a broad range of antibody biologics quickly and with high success rates. YUMAB´s team embraces innovation and supports collaborations with partners in academia and industry to be prepared for future needs of biotech and pharma customers worldwide.
