GigaGen Studies Published in Peer-Reviewed Journal mAbs, Validate Its Novel Monoclonal Antibody Discovery Approach in Mouse and Human Antibody Repertoires

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., Aug. 29, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- GigaGen Inc., a biopharmaceutical company developing novel antibody therapies, today announced the publication of preclinical data validating its Surge™ discovery platform to rapidly interrogate and screen mouse and human antibody repertoires. The findings appear in two separate studies published online in the peer-reviewed scientific journal mAbs and will be available in print in the upcoming issue.

The first paper, "Rare, high-affinity mouse anti-PD-1 antibodies that function in checkpoint blockade, discovered using microfluidics and molecular genomics," presents an alternative to hybridoma-based discovery that combines microfluidics, yeast single-chain variable fragment (scFv) display, and deep sequencing to interrogate and screen mouse antibody repertoires, with key advantages in comprehensiveness and turnaround time. The company's antibody discovery method only required six mice to yield 269 high-confidence, unique scFv binders against human PD-1 immunogen that were present at an average of 1 in 2,000 in the antibody repertoires of the immunized mice.

The second paper, "Rare, high-affinity anti-pathogen antibodies from human repertoires, discovered using microfluidics and molecular genomics," demonstrates how GigaGen's method is used to identify 247 natively paired anti-pathogen scFv binders, which were initially as rare as 1 in 100,000 in the human repertoires. GigaGen turned nineteen of the antigen binding scFv into full length antibodies that showed proper binding and pathogen neutralization, making this the first-known success at screening large, natural cognate-paired scFv libraries for antigen binders.

Affinity matured, functional anti-pathogen antibodies are often excellent clinical candidates for therapeutic monoclonal antibodies. GigaGen's Surge technology mitigates challenges typically associated with mining natural human antibody and mouse repertoires, enabling the company to find these high-potential candidates.

"We are encouraged by the data in both mouse and human models, which validate the Surge discovery platform launched at the 2017 BIO International Conference. The research demonstrates the power of Surge to find a robust portfolio of rare high-potential clinical candidates against any target of interest," said David Johnson, chief executive officer of GigaGen. "These findings highlight our unique approach to discovering highly specific and functional antibodies with therapeutic potential in many indications, including emerging viruses, autoimmune disease, and cancer. We continue to harness the speed and precision of this discovery technology to advance our internal pipeline."

About GigaGen
GigaGen is a privately-held, preclinical biopharmaceutical company developing novel antibody therapies derived from immune repertoires. GigaGen's technology platform captures the genetic makeup of entire immune repertoires, capturing and genetically analyzing B cells at a rate of millions per hour, while simultaneously identifying their antigen and protein binders. GigaGen has drug discovery projects with several pharmaceutical companies in addition to its own pipeline for development of the first recombinant intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) and immuno-oncology therapies. For more information visit www.GigaGen.com.

Corporate Communications Contact:
Mark Corbae
Vice President
Canale Communications
(619) 849-5375
[email protected]

SOURCE GigaGen Inc.

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