Partnership will discover and develop novel antibodies for a range of autoimmune diseases
Twist Bioscience, a synthetic DNA company, and Ono Pharmaceutical have announced that they have entered into a drug discovery collaboration to develop novel antibodies for the treatment of autoimmune diseases.
Under the terms of the agreement, Twist will utilise its ‘Library of Libraries’, an expansive collection of synthesised antibody libraries based on naturally occurring sequences, to discover novel antibodies against targets established by Ono.
Twist will receive research fees, success-based clinical and regulatory milestones, as well as royalties on product sales. Ono will be responsible for the development, manufacturing, and commercialisation of any products resulting from the collaboration.
Emily Leproust, chief executive officer and co-founder at Twist Bioscience, explained: “We are excited to partner with Ono Pharmaceutical to bring our antibody discovery expertise to bear on the challenge of autoimmune diseases. This collaboration has the potential to lead to the development of new and improved treatments for patients with these debilitating conditions.”
Dr Toichi Takino, executive director, discovery and research at Ono, reflected: “We are actively working to create biologics like antibodies in order to address unmet medical needs for a wide range of diseases including autoimmune diseases.”
He added: “We are very pleased to collaborate with Twist at this time in the area of autoimmune diseases and are confident that their expertise in antibody discovery and their impressive collection of diverse and highly specific antibody libraries will bring us potential functional antibodies.”
The collaboration is expected to last for five years, with the potential for renewal. The companies have already identified several potential targets for the development of new antibodies, and they are hopeful that the collaboration will lead to the development of new and improved treatments for autoimmune diseases.
Autoimmune diseases are caused by the body’s immune system attacking its own tissues. They can also impact a wide range of organs and can be difficult to treat.
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