Catalent collaborates with Grid Therapeutics to develop a novel targeted immuno-oncology therapy.
Catalent Pharma Solutions, a global provider of advanced delivery technologies and development solutions for drugs, biologics, and consumer health products, today announced it has signed a multi-year agreement with Grid Therapeutics, LLC, for the development and manufacture of Grid’s lead therapeutic candidate for the treatment of solid tumors. Grid is an oncology-focused biotech company building on the innovative science first developed by Edward F. Patz, Jr. M.D., and his team of scientists at Duke University Medical Center.
Under the agreement, Catalent Biologics will employ its proprietary GPEx cell line technology to develop cell lines and manufacture antibodies with a view to optimizing the process for cGMP bulk drug production. The project will be undertaken at Catalent’s state-of-the-art Madison, Wisconsin, biomanufacturing facility.
Grid’s research is based upon a novel approach to identify specific tumor immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies from patients with early stage cancer. Grid used a unique strategy to obtain the sequence of its lead IgG3 antibody directly from B cells in cancer patients.
“Grid Therapeutics is excited to partner with Catalent to develop this novel, human-derived antibody for the treatment of cancer. We feel Catalent Biologics is well positioned to bring this novel antibody to the clinic,” commented Edward F. Patz, Jr. M.D., CEO of Grid Therapeutics.
“Catalent regularly and successfully partners with innovator companies looking to bring new, important therapies to market faster, and a patient derived IgG3 monoclonal antibody would be a significant advancement in optimized treatments,” commented Mike Riley, vice president and general manager of Catalent Biologics.
Catalent’s proprietary GPEx technology creates stable, high-yielding mammalian cell lines with high speed and efficiency. The advantages of applying GPEx technology span from early feasibility studies, to clinical manufacturing, through to commercial-scale production. To date, seven GPEx-based antibody and protein products are approved and marketed, and 34 therapeutic candidates are currently in the clinic across the world.
(Source: Catalent Pharma Solutions)
