Abzena and FairJourney Biologics link up to provide full antibody services from discovery to manufacture

Published: 6-Apr-2016

Both firms offer protein engineering services to provide antibodies tailored to the desired format and humanised


Abzena, a provider of services and technologies enabling the development and manufacture of biopharmaceutical products, has formed a marketing alliance with global antibody discovery and engineering company FairJourney Biologics with the aim of expanding its service offerings.

The alliance enables Abzena to offer antibody discovery services to its partners and FJB to offer immunogenicity assessment and analytical services to its clients. Abzena will also offer its cell line development, process development and manufacturing services to FJB’s customers. The combined offering will provide a continuum of services from antibody discovery to GMP manufacture for Phase I and II clinical trials.

FJB has developed multiple naïve and immune Fab phage display libraries and can provide rodent, llama or human antibodies in Fab, IgG or, in the case of llama, VHH format, against customers’ targets. Bespoke libraries can also be constructed and used exclusively for particular customers. FJB undertakes binding and functional assays on antibody candidates and, through Abzena, will be able to offer an enhanced range of assays, including assessment of immunogenic potential, to aid selection of lead product candidates.

Both firms offer protein engineering services to provide antibodies tailored to the desired format and humanised. Abzena uses its Composite Human Antibody technology to produce antibodies with a very low risk of triggering an unwanted immunogenic response in patients.

Abzena can develop the manufacturing cell lines for antibodies discovered by FJB and provide process development and GMP manufacture of the antibodies at its facility in San Diego, US. Any antibodies being developed as an antibody drug conjugate (ADC) can be linked to a range of different drugs using Abzena’s proprietary conjugation technology, ThioBridge, as well as other established methods. ADCs are produced and tested by Abzena at its facilities in Cambridge (UK) and Bristol (PA, US).

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