Wellcome Trust invests £20m in Kymab
Will develop antibodies using its Kymouse genomically engineered mouse
The Wellcome Trust has invested £20m in Kymab, a biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialisation of novel monoclonal antibody medicines.
The company is a spin-out from the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Cambridge, UK, a leader in the Human Genome Project and genetic studies to determine the function of genes in health and disease.
Kymab will develop optimised monoclonal antibodies for the treatment of select diseases with high unmet medical need using its Kymouse, a genomically engineered mouse.
The Kymouse captures the entire diversity of the B lymphocyte component of the human immune system in its engineered chromosomes. It will be used for the discovery, development and commercialisation of antibody-based medicines.
Sir Mark Walport, director of the Wellcome Trust, said: ‘Our investment in fundamental genomic research at the Sanger Institute is expected to deliver significant advances in the diagnosis and treatment of disease. We are delighted to be providing technology and the financial basis for Kymab's management team to build a major UK biopharmaceutical company.’
Kymab was founded in 2009 based on research in the field of human immunology and mouse biology at the Sanger Institute in the laboratory of Professor Allan Bradley.