On November 3, 2021 Integral Molecular, an industry leader in developing antibodies against membrane proteins, reported that it entered into an exclusive worldwide antibody license agreement with AstraZeneca (LSE/STO/Nasdaq: AZN) to develop therapeutics for multiple cancers (Press release, Integral Molecular, NOV 3, 2021, View Source [SID1234594289]).

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Under the terms of the agreement, Integral Molecular will provide an exclusive license to AstraZeneca for a collection of highly specific monoclonal antibodies for use in oncology. AstraZeneca will be solely responsible for all research, development, and commercial activities.

"This agreement with Integral Molecular will allow AstraZeneca to generate additional novel cancer therapies and advance our goal of delivering personalised treatments to improve patient outcomes," said Mark Cobbold, VP, Discovery, Oncology R&D at AstraZeneca. "These antibodies can be incorporated into a number of therapeutic modalities and align with AstraZeneca’s ongoing pursuit of high-quality innovation to deliver life-changing treatments that increase the potential for cure."

"Specificity is incredibly important for therapies designed to eliminate cancer cells, since mistargeting can have serious safety ramifications for patients," said Benjamin Doranz, CEO and co-founder of Integral Molecular. "Our program has produced antibodies with picomolar affinity and high specificity even against conserved targets that have proven difficult to generate antibodies against. The specificity of these antibodies is a testament to the dedication and efforts of our talented team."

The antibodies licensed by AstraZeneca were discovered and characterized using Integral Molecular’s platforms designed to yield antibodies against structurally complex membrane proteins. Together, the MPS Antibody Discovery platform, Lipoparticles, Membrane Proteome Array, and Shotgun Mutagenesis Epitope Mapping technologies were used to generate diverse antibodies with exceptional specificity.