Affitech signs antibody research and licensing agreement with Roche

Norwegian human antibody therapeutics company Affitech has signed a research and licensing agreement with Roche to produce fully human monoclonal antibodies against an unnamed oncology target.

Under the agreement Affitech will first use its proprietary phagemid library, high throughput screening technology and antibody engineering platforms to identify candidate antibodies that Roche would then utilise for further development and commercialisation.

The financial terms of the collaboration include research fees, milestone payments and royalties on net sales upon commercialisation of any product.

'We are delighted that Roche has chosen to partner with us based on our significant achievements to date in the human antibody field,' said Dr Martin Welschof, ceo of Affitech.

'This new agreement is the latest in a series of collaborations, also in oncology, that we have made with other global antibody companies, including the US-based Xoma and Peregrine Pharmaceuticals.'