BioWa Announces License of POTELLIGENT® Technology to Agensys

PRINCETON, N.J., Nov. 15, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- BioWa, Inc. announced today that it has entered into a license agreement with Agensys, Inc., an affiliate of Tokyo based Astellas Pharma Inc., providing Agensys with access to BioWa's POTELLIGENT® Technology platform for the purpose of identifying antibodies with enhanced antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC).

"We are extremely pleased about our Agreement with Agensys, a leading monoclonal antibody organization with a focus on therapies against solid tumors," commented Dr. Masamichi Koike, BioWa's President and CEO. "Agensys world-class R&D organization and breath of targets in solid tumors will greatly extend the benefits of the POTELLIGENT® Technology."

Under the terms of the license agreement, BioWa grants Agensys non-exclusive rights to conduct research activities using POTELLIGENT® Technology for an undisclosed number of targets. In return, BioWa will receive annual research license fees. Other details of the agreement are not disclosed.

About POTELLIGENT® Technology

POTELLIGENT® Technology improves potency and efficacy of antibody therapeutics, by enhancing ADCC, one of the major mechanisms of action for antibody therapeutics. POTELLIGENT® Technology involves the reduction of the amount of fucose in the carbohydrate structure of an antibody using a proprietary fucosyltransferase-knockout Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) cell line as a production cell. Research shows that POTELLIGENT® Technology dramatically enhances ADCC activity of an antibody in vitro, and significantly increases potency and efficacy of the antibody in vivo. A number of POTELLIGENT® antibodies are being investigated in human clinical trials.

About BioWa, Inc.

BioWa is a wholly owned subsidiary of Kyowa Hakko Kirin Co., Ltd., Japan's leading pharmaceutical and largest biotech company, and is the exclusive worldwide licensor for the AccretaMab® platform. The AccretaMab® platform consists of POTELLIGENT® and COMPLEGENT® Technologies, creating superior antibody molecules with enhanced ADCC and CDC activities. BioWa is offering POTELLIGENT® and COMPLEGENT® Technologies to partners under a license to maximize the value of these technologies. Together with Kyowa Hakko Kirin, BioWa is committed to promote ADCC/CDC enhanced monoclonal antibody-based therapeutics to fight cancer and other life-threatening and debilitating diseases. For more information about BioWa, visit its web site at www.biowa.com.

POTELLIGENT®, COMPLEGENT®, and AccretaMab® are the trademarks of Kyowa Hakko Kirin Co., Ltd. All rights are reserved.

About Agensys

Agensys, Inc., an affiliate of Astellas Pharma Inc., is developing a pipeline of fully human monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) to treat cancer. The mAb product pipeline is being generated to Agensys' diverse portfolio of proprietary, clinically relevant cancer targets. The company has full capabilities to generate, develop and manufacture antibody products. Agensys is progressing a pipeline of both naked and antibody-drug conjugated (ADC) therapeutic antibodies.

SOURCE BioWa, Inc.