PHILADELPHIA – (BUSINESS WIRE) – Integral Molecular, the industry leader in the discovery of monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) against membrane proteins, and Merus N.V. (Nasdaq:MRUS), a clinical-stage immuno-oncology company developing innovative bispecific antibody therapeutics, today announced that they have entered into a collaboration on multiple undisclosed targets.
The collaboration leverages the power of Integral Molecular’s proprietary technologies: the MPS Discovery Engine®, a technology suite for discovering MAbs against structurally complex proteins; and Lipoparticles, virus-like particles displaying high concentrations of membrane proteins. Using the MPS platform, Integral Molecular has discovered antibody assets targeting membrane proteins important in oncology (Claudin 6) and metabolic diseases (CB1, GLUT4), among others. Many of these MAbs are the first of their kind to be isolated, as complex membrane proteins have historically been extremely difficult targets for antibody discovery.
Cecile Geuijen, PhD, Vice President, Oncology Research of Merus, stated: “Having worked with Integral Molecular for many years, we are excited to formalize this collaboration. Access to Integral Molecular’s capabilities will complement our ability to advance our therapeutic pipeline, which is dedicated to delivering novel antibody therapeutic candidates to patients.”
“Integral Molecular’s technologies are uniquely suited for discovering diverse antibodies against complex membrane proteins, which are the most compelling targets for treating disease,” said Ross Chambers, VP of Antibody Discovery at Integral Molecular. “Our MPS platform can be used to discover cross-reactive MAbs against both human and rodent targets, enabling partners such as Merus to advance into preclinical studies as quickly as possible.”
About Integral Molecular
Integral Molecular (www.integralmolecular.com) is the industry leader in membrane protein antibody discovery, with a pipeline of therapeutic antibodies against GPCRs, ion channels, transporters, and immuno-oncology targets. Built on the company’s extensive experience optimizing membrane proteins, this platform enables the isolation, characterization, and engineering of MAbs against otherwise intractable targets. The company currently has therapeutic programs focused on cancer, pain, immunity, and metabolic disorders.
About Merus N.V.
Merus is a clinical-stage immuno-oncology company developing innovative full-length human bispecific antibody therapeutics, referred to as Biclonics®. Biclonics®, which are based on the full-length IgG format, are manufactured using industry standard processes and have been observed in preclinical and clinical studies to have several of the same features of conventional human monoclonal antibodies, such as long half-life and low immunogenicity. For additional information, please visit Merus’ website, www.merus.nl.
