BioWorld International Correspondent

LONDON - Cambridge Antibody Technology Group plc entered a collaboration with Immunex Corp. to develop human antibody-based therapeutics for autoimmune and inflammatory diseases around two proprietary targets from Immunex.

The targets were not disclosed, but David Glover, CAT's medical director, told BioWorld International, "The targets are applicable to a range of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, so we can't say at this stage how many products may arise from the collaboration."

The companies will share development costs equally and split any profits 50-50. CAT will use its human antibody phage display technology and high-throughput screening to discover and optimize antibodies specific to the Immunex targets and Immunex will be responsible for all preclinical and clinical evaluation, as well as commercialization.

This deal is separate from the previous agreement between the two companies, signed in November, in which Immunex gained access to CAT's libraries for reagent generation and target validation. Under that agreement, Immunex, of Seattle, also gained exclusive access to up to eight products derived from its use of CAT's antibody library, but rather than sharing costs and profits equally, CAT is to receive milestone and royalties.

This second collaboration with Immunex is the third profit-sharing deal for CAT, of Melbourn, Cambridgeshire, and is a reflection of the company's financial strength, and the growing reputation of its antibody technology. One of the main reasons CAT gave when it raised £93 million in a secondary offering in March 2000 was to have the cash to fund partnerships, and hence extract more value from its technology.

"We have been encouraged by the quality of companies we can make agreements with," Glover said. "Two years ago it would have been inconceivable we could do profit- sharing deals." The other deals are with Elan Corp. plc and Genzyme Corp.

There is no fixed term to the Immunex product development agreement. Glover said, "We are confident we can make antibodies against these targets. What we don't know until we get them into the clinic is how that translates to an effect in man. It could be very potent, or it could be the effect is only marginal."