On May 30, 2017 i2 Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on next generation discovery and development of therapeutics with a focus on personalized cancer treatment, reported the acquisition of all of the antibody and engineered protein technology of Sea Lane Biotechnologies, LLC, Redwood City, California, including several potential product candidates (Press release, i2 Pharmaceuticals, MAY 30, 2017, View Source [SID1234521986]).
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The acquisition consists of three distinct classes of protein therapeutics, including world-class human antibody libraries, human b-cell derived antibodies, and a new class of engineered protein therapeutics called Surrobodies. Surrobodies allow for the facile creation of bispecific therapeutic agents from vast arrays of monospecific agents. In addition, this new class of protein can be readily transformed by coupling small molecule drugs to Surrobodies to create Surrobody Drug Conjugates (SDC’s), the next generation in potent cancer therapeutics.
"We are thrilled with the acquisition of the product candidates and technologies so exquisitely crafted at Sea Lane. In particular, the antibodies and Surrobodies developed by Sea Lane for Immuno-Oncology (IO) complement existing programs at i2 Pharma in the development of cancer therapeutics," said Dr. Bruce Eaton, i2’s Founder, Chairman and CEO. "We are now uniquely positioned with protein, small molecule and RNA therapeutic modalities that can be mixed and matched to innovate beyond the traditional boundaries of drug discovery with a goal of developing next generation, highly efficacious, cost effective personalized therapeutics."
Richard Lerner, the Lita Annenberg Hazen Professor of Immunochemistry and former President of The Scripps Research Institute, believes strongly in the capabilities of the Surrobody technology. "The Surrobody technology was created as an alternative to conventional antibody based approaches, with the potential for a wide range of protein engineering advantages. The Sea Lane Biotechnologies team and their commercial and academic partners clearly demonstrated the power of the Surrobody technology for many applications including multi-specific and drug conjugate formats. With this acquisition, i2 Pharmaceuticals now has a compelling portfolio of Surrobody and antibody product candidates and technologies to add to its other exciting capabilities," Lerner stated.
"We are excited about the combination of the Sea Lane technologies and product candidates with i2 Pharma’s existing portfolio of transformative technologies for drug discovery," said Lawrence Horowitz, CEO of Sea Lane Biotechnologies.
"We share the vision at i2 Pharmaceuticals and their highly competent team. Our shared goal is efficacious, cost effective personalized therapeutics with a positive impact on patient lives. The combination of Sea Lane and i2 Pharma technologies can make that happen," said Michael Horowitz, Chief Operating Office of Sea Lane Biotechnologies.