Xencor Receives Advanced Technology Program Grant for Safer Protein Therapeutics; Grant to Support the Rational Design of Non-immunogenic Proteins.Business Editors & Health/Medical Writers MONROVIA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 9, 2002 Xencor today announced that it has been awarded a $2 million Advanced Technology Program grant from the National Institute of Standards and Technology National Institute of Standards and Technology, governmental agency within the U.S. Dept. of Commerce with the mission of "working with industry to develop and apply technology, measurements, and standards" in the national interest. to support the discovery of safer and more effective protein therapeutics. The three-year federal grant, titled "Rational Design of Non-immunogenic Proteins," supports the development of Xencor's ImmunoPDA(TM) technology to create new, non-immunogenic proteins optimized for therapeutic use and to eliminate immunogenicity immunogenicity /im·mu·no·ge·nic·i·ty/ (-je-nis´it-e) the property enabling a substance to provoke an immune response, or the degree to which a substance possesses this property. from known protein drugs. The promise of biotherapeutics is threatened by the potential for immune rejection of the administered protein drug, called immunogenicity. Adverse immunogenic im·mu·no·gen·ic adj. Producing an immune response. immunogenic producing immunity; evoking an immune response. responses to protein therapeutics occur not only in candidates during late stage clinical trials, but even in products that have already been on the market for several years, such as interferon beta interferon beta Fibroblast interferon IFN-β A 20 kD anti-viral protein with 30% 'homology' with IFN alpha, encoded on chromosome 9, produced by fibroblasts in response to viruses or polyribonucleotides and erythropoietin erythropoietin /eryth·ro·poi·e·tin/ (-poi´e-tin) a glycoprotein hormone secreted by the kidney in the adult and by the liver in the fetus, which acts on stem cells of the bone marrow to stimulate red blood cell production . Adverse immune responses can both reduce a drug's efficacy and cause serious adverse reactions adverse reactions, n.pl unfavorable reactions resulting from administration of a local anesthetic; responsible factors include the drug used, concentration, and route of administration. such as neutralizing antibodies or allergic shock. There are no standard methods for eliminating protein immunogenicity, and current approaches to eliminate it lack a rational basis. These current approaches also have difficulty maintaining protein function and efficacy. "With support from this Advanced Technology Program grant, Xencor is overcoming immunogenicity obstacles by developing the ImmunoPDA platform, the first in silico method for rational deimmunization," said Bassil Dahiyat, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Xencor. "We combine the entire knowledgebase of immunogenicity determinants with our proprietary Protein Design Automation(TM) (PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) A handheld computer for managing contacts, appointments and tasks. It typically includes a name and address database, calendar, to-do list and note taker, which are the functions in a personal information manager (see PIM). (TM)) technology to identify specific protein regions that elicit immune responses and replace them with rationally designed protein segments that enhance protein function and stability. The result is the generation of biotherapeutics with optimized pharmacology and lower cost that are not recognized as foreign by the human immune system immune system Cells, cell products, organs, and structures of the body involved in the detection and destruction of foreign invaders, such as bacteria, viruses, and cancer cells. Immunity is based on the system's ability to launch a defense against such invaders. . We also are using ImmunoPDA to reduce immune responses against currently marketed biotherapeutics." About the Protein Design Automation platform Xencor's PDA technology is the first method to combine advanced computational methods, high performance computing and experimental screening for protein optimization and sequence design. Xencor uses the information embedded in protein structure to optimize the function of a protein including its activity, binding affinity and specificity, stability, expression level, and potency. About the Advanced Technology Program The Advanced Technology Program, managed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, provides cost-shared funding to industry for high-risk R&D projects with the potential to spark important, broad-based economic benefits for the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. . The awards are made on the basis of a rigorous peer-reviewed selection process. For more information, consult the ATP ATP: see adenosine triphosphate. ATP in full adenosine triphosphate Organic compound, substrate in many enzyme-catalyzed reactions (see catalysis) in the cells of animals, plants, and microorganisms. web site, www.atp.nist.gov. Xencor discovers and develops protein and small molecule therapeutics using its proprietary rational protein design and chemical biology platforms. Xencor's platforms apply high performance computing and advanced cell biology to rapidly discover drugs with novel mechanisms and improved safety and efficacy. Xencor is a privately held biopharmaceutical company located in Monrovia, CA. Additional information is available at www.xencor.com. |
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