PALO ALTO, Calif.
OMT Therapeutics, Inc. (OMT Therapeutics) today announced a partnership with the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) under which Caltech will use OMT Therapeutics’ fully human nanobody platform, UniRat™, for the generation of nanobodies against HIV-1.
Dr. Wim van Schooten, OMT Therapeutics’ Chief Scientific Officer said, “Dr. Pamela Bjorkman’s group at Caltech, a premier research institution, is developing strategies to fight HIV infections. HIV specific human nanobodies could provide the unique building blocks for potent anti-HIV therapeutics. This alliance promises to be the first in a series under OMT Therapeutics strategy to partner with academia and industry to develop poly-specific proteins.”
Dr. Pamela Bjorkman, the Max Delbruk Professor of Biology and HHMI Investigator, said “OMT Therapeutics’ UniRat is unique resource for generation of fully humanized nanobodies. We look forward to collaborating on anti-HIV nanobodies as new reagents in the fight against HIV/AIDS.”
About OMT Therapeutics, Inc.
OMT Therapeutics, Inc. (OMTT) is a private, California-based biotechnology company with the industry’s first fully human, heavy chain-only antibody (HCAb) and nanobody platform based on transgenic rats, UniRat™. With its endogenous immunoglobulin genes silenced, UniRat™ uses a human immunoglobulin heavy-chain translocus to express a diverse, naturally optimized repertoire of human HCAbs. UniRat™ HCAbs and nanobodies bind epitopes that cannot be attacked with conventional antibodies. Their high specificity, affinity, and small size make them ideal for mono- and poly-specific applications. OMT Therapeutics’ patented technology has broad freedom to operate and is available worldwide without any target restrictions.
OMT Therapeutics was spun out of Open Monoclonal Technology, Inc. (OMT), an established leader in genetically engineering of animals for the generation of human therapeutic antibodies. OMT is the only company in the world with three transgenic animal platforms. Current partners include Caltech, Celgene, Chugai, Genmab, Genentech, HanAll, Janssen, Merck, University of Nottingham, Pfizer, Roche, Symphogen and other biopharmaceutical companies and universities.
OMT Therapeutics’ founder, Dr. Roland Buelow, and his team, led by Drs. Marianne Bruggemann and Wim van Schooten, hold numerous patents and have more than sixty years accumulated experience in biotechnology, in particular with transgenic animals that produce human antibodies.
For more information, please visit www.omttinc.com.
CONTACT
OMT Therapeutics, Inc.
Wim van Schooten, +1-650-387-8155
Chief
Science Officer
wvanschooten@omttinc.com