Integral Molecular and Merus N.V. announced they have entered into a collaboration on multiple undisclosed targets.
The collaboration leverages Integral Molecular’s proprietary technologies: the MPS Discovery Engine, a technology suite for discovering MAbs against structurally complex proteins; and Lipoparticles, virus-like particles displaying high concentrations of membrane proteins. Using the MPS platform, Integral Molecular has discovered antibody assets targeting membrane proteins important in oncology (Claudin 6) and metabolic diseases (CB1, GLUT4), among others. Many of these MAbs are the first of their kind to be isolated, as complex membrane proteins have historically been extremely difficult targets for antibody discovery.
“Having worked with Integral Molecular for many years, we are excited to formalize this collaboration. Access to Integral Molecular’s capabilities will complement our ability to advance our therapeutic pipeline, which is dedicated to delivering novel antibody therapeutic candidates to patients,” Cecile Geuijen, PhD, Vice President, Oncology Research of Merus, said.
“Integral Molecular’s technologies are uniquely suited for discovering diverse antibodies against complex membrane proteins, which are the most compelling targets for treating disease,” said Ross Chambers, VP of Antibody Discovery at Integral Molecular. “Our MPS platform can be used to discover cross-reactive MAbs against both human and rodent targets, enabling partners such as Merus to advance into preclinical studies as quickly as possible.”