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news.Kyowa Hakko Kirin's US subsidiary BioWa and Swiss chemicals and biotechnology firm Lonza have entered into a licensing agreement with arGEN-X BV, a Dutch clinical-stage human therapeutic antibody company.
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As part of the deal, arGEN-X has licensed the firm’s POTELLIGENT CHOK1SV Cell Line Technology for use in the development of ARGX-110, a proprietary antibody in its pipeline.
POTELLIGENT CHOK1SV is a host cell line for manufacturing recombinant antibodies that combines the power of BioWa’s engineered glycosylation POTELLIGENT Technology with the advantages of Lonza’s GS Gene Expression System, which includes pre-eminent host cell line, CHOK1SV.
The technology is designed to improve the potency and efficacy of therapeutic antibodies by enhancing antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC), one of the major mechanisms of therapeutic antibodies.
The deal follows a licensing agreement between arGEN-X and BioWa, started in 2010, to apply BioWa’s POTELLIGENT Technology to therapeutic antibodies discovered by arGEN-X.
BioWa president and CEO Yasunori Yamaguchi said, "The POTELLIGENT Technology has become a global standard over the last decade for the enhancement of ADCC in therapeutic antibody development, as evidenced by our parent company, Kyowa Hakko Kirin Co., Ltd. and our licensed partners."
According to the company, the POTELLIGENT CHOK1SV Cell Line retains the features of a high-producing cell line with the advantage of a proven bioprocess platform for the CHOK1SV Cell Line.
Antibodies produced by this cell line display improved ADCC and can exert potent cytotoxic effects even when their target antigen is expressed at low levels.
Additionally, they are active in whole blood and retain all other desirable features of non-glycoengineered antibodies.