Immunocan Provides Update on Business Operations, Highlighting Launch of New Gene-edited Mice Generating Fully Human Heavy-chain-only Antibodies and Advances in Partner Pipeline

APAC - English

News provided by

Dec 13, 2023, 09:00 ET

SHANGHAI, Dec. 13, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Shanghai Immunocan Biotech Co., Ltd. ("Immunocan") announces the launch of its ImmuMab Heavy^® mice. These gene-edited mice, developed by modifying the constant region genes of heavy chains in the ImmuMab^® mouse, generate fully human heavy-chain-only antibodies.

ImmuMab Heavy^® mice are able to produce fully human antibodies, consisting solely of heavy chains, without the presence of light chains. These mice possess over 120 human immunoglobulin heavy-chain V genes at the mouse immunoglobulin gene loci, thanks to the parental strain ImmuMab^® mice. In this way, ImmuMab Heavy^® mice acquire the advantages of robust immune responsiveness and high diversity of human antibody repertoire. The resulting heavy-chain-only antibody repertoire brings about productive V gene rearrangement and somatic hypermutation. These antibodies deliver higher flexibility for developing new modalities as compared to traditional monoclonal antibodies, either developed directly into therapeutics with unique attributes or used as targeting components when conjugated with drugs, or fused with other large molecules to create bi-specific and multi-specific biologics.

Successful launch of ImmuMab Heavy^® mouse in under a year since launching the fully human antibody mouse ImmuMab^®, demonstrated the superiority of Immunocan's gene-editing technology in creating new antibody generation animals. Immunocan is currently making headway in developing various new models for antibody generation, including mice that can generate novel modalities and non-mouse animals that can generate distinctive fully human antibody repertoires from unique B-cell ontogeny.

While continuously developing animal platforms for in-vivo antibody discovery, Immunocan is also dedicated to promoting collaborative research and technology licensing using the ImmuMab^® mouse. Since its launch in December 2022, ImmuMab^® mouse has initiated immunization by 17 protein and nucleic acid-based antigens across 13 targets, all of which have demonstrated a robust immune response. From the first program, the candidate molecule demonstrated superior anti-tumor efficacy in in-vivo assays, outperforming benchmark molecule (currently in Phase III clinical stage). Candidate molecules from ImmuMab^® mice are providing substantial support for the development of antibody-based therapeutics of Immunocan partners.

Immunocan welcomes global R&D partners to collaborate in our research and engage with our cutting-edge, fully human, in vivo antibody discovery platform. Together, we can bring safer and more effective therapeutic products to patients around the world.

About ImmuMab^® Mouse Platform

ImmuMab^® Mouse is a humanized mouse for immunoglobulin genes created by Immunocan using its proprietary gene-editing technology, Massive-fragment Across Species in Situ Replacement Technology (MASIRT^®). The technology enables rapid in-situ replacement of various mega-base immunoglobulin genes in the mouse genome. This mouse offers robust immune responses and diverse antibody repertoires, enhancing the likelihood of successfully discovering fully human antibody molecules. The platform was developed in just 18 months.

About Immunocan

Immunocan was founded in 2020 and specializes in using gene editing technology to replace immunoglobulin variable region genes in various animals, resulting in genetically engineered animals capable of producing fully human antibodies and other innovative modalities. The company is committed to offering cutting-edge antibody discovery platforms to worldwide drug research partners, with the goal of developing safer and more effective treatments for human diseases.

For more information: www.immunocan.com

Contact:
Immunocan
BD@immunocan.com

SOURCE Immunocan