Under the Agreement, Antitope will engineer a novel antibody developed by Fraunhofer IZI to produce an improved therapy for the treatment of transplantation patients

CAMBRIDGE, UK | September 18, 2007 | Antitope Ltd., a leader in antibody and protein engineering, today announced a research agreement with Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology (Fraunhofer IZI). Under the Agreement, Antitope will engineer a novel antibody developed by Fraunhofer IZI to produce an improved therapy for the treatment of transplantation patients.

"We are delighted to be working with a world class biomedical research organization such as the Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology" said Dr Matthew Baker, Chief Scientific Officer and co-founder of Antitope Limited. "We look forward to an excellent and productive partnership and, in particular, the successful development of a treatment to help reduce the incidence of rejection during transplantation."

About Antitope

Antitope Ltd. is a Cambridge UK-based biotechnology company specializing in immunogenicity testing and the engineering of therapeutic antibodies/proteins to reduce immunogenicity. Antitope’s proprietary technology builds upon the previous pioneering work of its founders in the detection and removal of T cell epitopes in antibodies/proteins through humanization and de-immunisation technologies. Antitope are a privately-held company and have established multiple commercial relationships with leading biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies. For further information on Antitope visit http://www.antitope.co.uk/.

About Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology

The Fraunhofer-Society (FhG) undertakes applied research of direct utility to private and public enterprises and of wide benefit to society. The Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology (Fraunhofer IZI) founded in April 2005 is one of the 56 Fraunhofer institutes and has the general objective to provide solutions to specific problems at the interfaces between medicine, life sciences and engineering for partners active in medicine-related industries and businesses. The institute’s core competencies are in regenerative medicine. Specifically a strategic focus of the institute is cell-therapeutic methods of regenerating non-functioning tissue and organs through cell therapy and biological substitution with tissue cultivated in vitro (tissue engineering). The institute additionally studies cellular and immunological defence and control mechanisms taking these into account during process and product development. Finally, the institute is developing novel technologies in medical diagnostics and cell tracking, taking advantage of internally developed IP in RNomics and magneto-resistivity technology. Fraunhofer IZI works closely with hospital institutions, performing quality tests and clinical studies and provides assistance in obtaining GMP-manufacturing licenses and GLP-certifications.

SOURCE: ANTITOPE