Leveragen Announces Collaboration Agreement with Moderna Using Proprietary Fully Human Single Domain Antibody Technology to Advance Therapeutics
July 30 2024 - 8:08AM
Business Wire
Leveragen, Inc., a Boston-based early-stage biotech company
developing next-generation genetic models for antibody discovery,
announced today that it has entered a multi-target research, option
and license agreement with Moderna, Inc.
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Under the agreement, Leveragen will employ its proprietary fully
human single domain antibody discovery platform to generate a panel
of optimized binding modules against therapeutic targets selected
by Moderna. Moderna will have the option to secure exclusive rights
for the subsequent development and commercialization of the
therapeutic products.
“Existing models for single domain antibody discovery often
encounter challenges including restricted antibody diversity and
suboptimal immune responses. These issues are a direct result of
the limitations associated with conventional transgenic
technologies,” said Weisheng Chen, Founder and CEO of Leveragen.
"We've solved these problems with a targeted approach, creating the
Singularity Sapiens Mouse — an industry-leading model with the
complete human VH repertoire and robust immune responses. Our
partnership with Moderna further expands the potential of using
single domain antibodies in mRNA therapeutics, offering promising
opportunities to address unmet medical needs."
During this partnership, Leveragen will spearhead the discovery
of single domain antibody sequences for various targets. If Moderna
decides to exercise its commercial option, it will be responsible
for further development and commercialization efforts.
Leveragen is set to receive an undisclosed upfront payment and
research funding, along with development, regulatory and commercial
milestones in addition to tiered royalties on global sales.
About Leveragen
Leveragen is a genetic engineering company with technologies
designed to revolutionize the discovery of biologic modalities for
next-generation therapeutic and diagnostic applications. Harnessing
CRISPR gene editing and chromosome engineering technologies, we
have extensively modified the immunoglobulin heavy chain locus to
generate the Singularity Sapiens Mouse, which solely produces heavy
chain antibodies from the complete human VH repertoire. Unlike
conventional transgenic approaches, this targeted strategy
eliminates all competing conventional antibodies, safeguards
immunoglobulin gene regulation, and promotes normal B cell
development and differentiation, resulting in robust immune
responses and maximal antibody diversity. Employing an AI-powered,
NGS-driven antibody discovery pipeline against several therapeutic
targets, we have demonstrated that our platform generates fully
human single domain antibodies with superior affinity, stability,
solubility, and modularity.
Single domain antibodies, or nanobodies, are a compact, potent
alternative to conventional antibody binders. Even though they're
only 10% of the size, they retain high target binding affinities,
exhibit enhanced tissue penetration, and can tackle otherwise
inaccessible targets like G Protein-Coupled Receptors (GPCRs).
Their single-chain and monomeric structure make it easier to
engineer them for various biological uses, such as multi-specific
antibodies and antibody-drug conjugates, as well as the development
of mRNA and cell therapies.
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