Collaboration combines the drug development and neuroscience expertise of Alector with GigaGen's efficient and fast antibody discovery technology
South San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) October 18, 2016
GigaGen Inc., a biopharmaceutical company with patented technology for discovery of T cell receptor (TCR) and antibody drugs from human immune repertoires, today announced a new scientific collaboration with Alector, a neuroscience company that discovers and develops therapeutics for Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia and neurodegeneration. The collaboration will utilize GigaGen’s patented technologies for efficient therapeutic antibody discovery.
The collaboration will involve immunization of mice with Alector’s confidential neurodegenerative disease targets, followed by drug discovery and analysis using GigaGen’s single-cell genomics platform. GigaGen’s platform uses cutting-edge microfluidics to generate millions-diverse DNA and antibody protein libraries from millions of B cells per hour. GigaGen then identifies antibodies with high therapeutic potential by subjecting these libraries to proprietary antigen binding and functional analyses. GigaGen’s technology promises to be faster and more comprehensive than competing technologies, which is particularly important for challenging therapeutic targets.
“We’re excited to help Alector discover first-in-class therapies for neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s,” commented GigaGen Founder and CEO Dave Johnson, PhD. “Our collaboration combines the drug development and neuroscience expertise of Alector with our efficient and fast antibody discovery technology. One day the antibodies we discover could be used to improve the lives of millions of Americans suffering from intractable neurodegenerative disorders.”
Financial terms of the collaboration were not disclosed. The collaboration begins immediately and will continue until technical milestones are met.
About GigaGen
GigaGen is a biopharmaceutical company developing novel antibody and T cell therapies derived from immune repertoires. GigaGen’s technology platform captures the genetic make-up of the entire human immune repertoire, capturing and genetically analyzing B and T cells at a rate of millions per hour, while simultaneously identifying their antigen and protein binders. Therapies derived from natural immune repertoires mimic the body's natural immune system - they can be more effective, can have fewer side effects, and can have faster development timelines than those developed from traditional methods. GigaGen has drug discovery projects with several pharmaceutical companies in addition to its own pipeline for development of the first recombinant intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) and immuno-oncology therapies. For more information visit http://www.gigagen.com.
About Alector
Alector is a hypothesis-driven, genetic-based, neuroscience company that discovers and develops therapeutics for Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia and neurodegeneration under the premise that degenerative brain disorders are caused, in part, by a dysfunctional immune system. Alector is dedicated to the discovery of novel, immuno-modulatory drugs that harness the immune system to combat multiple disease pathologies. Alector is currently pursuing 12 drug targets and expect to be in clinical trials within 12-18 months. Alector has raised ~$80M from premier venture capitalists and pharmaceutical companies including OrbiMed, Polaris, Google Ventures, Merck, AbbVie, Amgen, and the Dementia Discovery Fund (consisting of the World Health Organization, UK Government, J&J, Pfizer, GSK, Biogen, Takeda, Lilly). Alector has been recognized by several leading publications:
- Fierce Biotech selected Alector as a Fierce 15 in 2015
- Nature Medicine recognized Alector's innovative approach to neurodegeneration in 2016
- The Wall Street Journal featured Alector as the first investment by the Dementia Discovery Fund
For more information, visit http://www.Alector.com