Avantium and WEP sign joint development agreement
Dutch research company Avantium Technologies and UK-based Warwick Effect Polymers (WEP) have reached agreement for the joint development and commercialisation of WEP's POLY PEG technology for pharmaceutical compounds.
Dutch research company Avantium Technologies and UK-based Warwick Effect Polymers (WEP) have reached agreement for the joint development and commercialisation of WEP's POLY PEG technology for pharmaceutical compounds.
The PolyPEG family represents a new generation of pegylating/conjugating agents for conjugation to proteins, peptides and other molecules. POLY PEGs are comb-shaped, non-toxic, water-soluble polymers with PEG (polyethylene glycol) teeth on a methacrylic back bone and come in a variety of molecular weights, chain lengths and with different conjugating end-groups.
The technology has been developed to increase the bioavailability of drug molecules, thereby optimising their pharmacokinetic profile and offering decreased dosing frequencies and increased drug efficacy.
'Avantium is a leading company in high-throughput experimentation,' said WEP's chief technical officer, Professor David Haddleton. 'Their experience in PEGylation process improvement and network of contacts throughout the industry will allow us to speed the development process, while enhancing the licensing opportunities for our POLY PEG technology.'