BioWorld International Correspondent

PARIS - BioProtein Technologies signed a licensing agreement with GTC Biotherapeutics granting BioProtein certain rights to GTC's European patent for a process of producing recombinant proteins in the milk of transgenic rabbits.

The rights cover all European Union countries, plus Switzerland and Turkey. Paris-based BioProtein's activities span the whole protein manufacturing process, from genes or cDNA expression to the extraction of recombinant proteins from the animal. The products it manufactures include monoclonal antibodies, hormones and vaccinating antigens.

The company says the deal with GTC Biotherapeutics, of Framingham, Mass., will enhance its ability to develop proteins in milk and help it achieve its goal of becoming a significant player in the business of manufacturing recombinant proteins in rabbits. The financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed, but BioProtein Technologies CEO Marc Le Bozec told BioWorld International that the company would be paying a license fee plus royalties on future sales.

He added that the license fee would be paid over a period of years. Acquiring rights to the patent completes the company's intellectual property portfolio, Le Bozec said, although he acknowledged that BioProtein's production technology would be only marginally enhanced by the deal.

GTC already has licensed out its technology to companies such as Abbott Laboratories, of Abbott Park, Ill.; Bristol-Myers Squibb Co., of New York; Centocor Inc., of Malvern, Pa; Elan Corp plc, of Dublin, Ireland; as well as Alexion, ImmunoGen, Merrimack and Progenics for the production of transgenic versions of monoclonal antibodies and immunoglobulin fusion proteins for conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis. In-house, it uses it to produce recombinant human antithrombin III (rhATIII), a human blood plasma protein that is undergoing a clinical efficacy study; the company also is developing a recombinant human serum albumin and a malaria vaccine.