SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Theraclone Sciences, Inc., a therapeutic antibody discovery and development company, today announced that it will identify potential therapeutic antibodies against the Ebola virus utilizing the Company’s powerful human memory B-cell interrogation platform. The I-STARTM technology can rapidly screen antibodies from survivors of Ebola to uncover those with exceptional biologic activity that may lead to the development of a therapeutic antibody. BIO Ventures for Global Health was instrumental in forming a consortium of Ebola experts for the endeavor, and will collaborate with Theraclone on management of the project. To fund the initial screening and development efforts, Theraclone will receive up to $4.4 million in a Series C financing, which includes an investment from the Wellcome Trust along with existing investors.
“Our platform offers a comprehensive and rapid means to identify fully human immunotherapies for even the most difficult-to-treat infectious diseases, such as Ebola,” commented Clifford J. Stocks, Chief Executive Officer of Theraclone. “This Ebola project expands upon the multitude of ongoing partnerships we have with our I-STAR technology demonstrating its broad applicability across diverse areas, including oncology, HIV and other infectious diseases. We are pleased with the confidence Wellcome Trust has shown in our platform, and we are excited to commence the project with our consortium of collaborators assembled with the kind assistance of BIO Ventures for Global Health. ”
“Ebola, like many infectious diseases, is now a global threat. New collaborative approaches with researchers and clinicians from impacted countries, disease experts, and antibody therapeutic scientists from biotechnology companies are desperately needed to develop new and effective products. BVGH is proud to bring these partners together and to work with Theraclone to help bring new therapies to all people worldwide,” said Jennifer Dent President, BVGH.
About BIO Ventures for Global Health
BIO Ventures for Global
Health (BVGH) is a non-profit organization based in Seattle, Washington,
dedicated to solving global health issues by forming connections between
people, resources, and ideas. BVGH works at the crossroads of the
biopharmaceutical industry and global health to find the common ground
between the aspirations of the global health community and the strategic
priorities of companies.
About the Wellcome Trust
The Wellcome Trust is a global
charitable foundation dedicated to improving health. We provide more
than £700 million a year to support bright minds in science, the
humanities and the social sciences, as well as education, public
engagement and the application of research to medicine.
Our £18 billion investment portfolio gives us the independence to support such transformative work as the sequencing and understanding of the human genome, research that established front-line drugs for malaria, and Wellcome Collection, our free venue for the incurably curious that explores medicine, life and art. www.wellcome.ac.uk.
About Theraclone Sciences
Theraclone is a biopharmaceutical
company focused on the discovery and development of novel, monoclonal
antibody therapeutics for diseases in cancer and infectious disease that
are devastating for patients and their families and which are a
significant threat to human health. Theraclone leverages its proprietary
antibody discovery technology, I-STARTM to identify rare
fully human antibodies from immunologically relevant human subjects.
Antibodies may be developed into drug product candidates that are
potentially safer and more effective than current therapies, or that
address an unmet medical need. Theraclone has a portfolio of innovative
programs at preclinical and clinical development stage, including the
discovery and development of novel therapeutic antibodies and drugable
targets derived from immuno modulatory treated cancer patients.
Current projects include:
• Triple negative breast cancer
•
Melanoma
• Non-small cell lung cancer
• Gastric cancer
•
Gram-negative multidrug resistant bacteria
• Clinical Phase 2 stage
TCN-032 - a recombinant fully human monoclonal antibody for the
treatment of patients hospitalized with serious influenza. TCN-032 has
shown statistically significant reduction in viral load and improvement
of clinical symptom scores in a Phase 2a viral challenge model.
Theraclone is a privately held company having antibody discovery collaborations with Gilead, Pfizer, Zenyaku Kogyo and IAVI, and venture investment from ARCH Venture Partners, Canaan Partners, Healthcare Ventures, MPM Capital, Amgen Ventures, Versant Ventures, Wellcome Trust and Alexandria Real Estate Equities. For additional information, please visit www.theraclone-sciences.com.
