Wednesday 08 February 2012
08-02-2012: Pepscan therapeutics achieves milestones in research collaboration with Janssen R&D Ireland
Lelystad, The Netherlands, February 8, 2012: - Pepscan Therapeutics B.V., the Netherlands based biotechnology firm focusing on protein mimicry technology for the generation of novel therapeutics, today announced that it has achieved two milestones in the Research Collaboration with Janssen R&D Ireland, formerly Tibotec Pharmaceuticals, and received undisclosed payments.
In the collaboration, Pepscan has discovered novel peptides with potential therapeutic utility using its proprietary peptide array platform for high throughput synthesis and screening of conformationally stabilized CLIPS peptides.
"The achievement of these milestones demonstrates the effectiveness of our high throughput peptide array technology for the discovery of novel peptides with excellent activity and proteolytic stability", said Wim Mol, CEO of Pepscan. "We consider this achievement a further expression of our expertise in the field of peptide lead discovery and optimization".
Tuesday 06 December 2011
06-12-2011 Pepscan Therapeutics Presents Protein Mimicry Platform for the Discovery of anti-GPCR Antibodies at International Antibody Conference
New peptide-based strategy for the generation of monoclonal antibodies against so called ‘intractable' targets like GPCR's
San Diego, USA, December 6, 2011 --- Speaking today at the plenary session of the IBC's International Antibody Conference in San Diego, Dr. Klaus Schwamborn, CDO of Pepscan Therapeutics, presented Pepscan's protein mimicry platform for the discovery of therapeutic antibodies.
In his presentation ‘CLIPS meets GPCRs' Dr. Schwamborn introduced the CLIPS technology and the most recent developments of immunogen design. He showed data demonstrating that Pepscan's synthetic immunogens induce potent antibodies against GPCRs and therefore are able to mimic the native receptor. Resulting antibodies do not only bind strongly to the native receptor, but also show functionality with neutralizing activity in different cell based assays. Pepscan's approach was applied to different targets, supporting the concept of a generic platform for antibody generation for any given GPCR.
Monoclonal antibody therapy is very successful and has major advantages compared to small molecule therapy. However, it is very difficult to generate monoclonal antibodies for certain important drug targets, due to technical constraints, and so far no generic approach has been documented. This is in particular valid for G-protein coupled receptors (GPCR's), for which no FDA approved antibody exists. Over the last years, Pepscan Therapeutics has validated and optimized its CLIPS technology which enables the design and synthesis of conformationally stabilized peptides with a well-defined 3D-structure, resembling the native functional protein surface. New immunogen design strategies were established which allow grafting extracellular domains of any given GPCR onto a synthetic template, mimicking the native receptor structure in an optimal way.
The platform provides a systematic and efficient way of making synthetic immunogens which induce antibodies against the native target. With these immunogens, monoclonal antibodies can be generated by using common antibody technologies, like phage display libraries or hybridoma generation procedures.
Dr. Schwamborn stated: "Our approach has proven to be successful and the fact that we have the possibility to tailor antibodies to certain GPCR domains enables us to engineer antibodies which fulfill certain biological requirements. The immunogen design concept for mimicking extracellular domains of discontinuous epitopes might be also applicable to other important target classes like ion channels".
Tuesday 10 May 2011
10-05-2011: Phylogica and Pepscan enter collaboration to optimise therapeutic phylomer drug candidates
Phylogica Ltd (ASX: PYC, XETRA: PH7), a leading Australian peptide drug discovery company, and Pepscan Therapeutics, a Dutch biopharmaceutical firm focusing on protein mimicry technology, today announce that they have entered a Research Collaboration and Option Agreement to evaluate the combination of their complementary peptide technologies for drug discovery. Under the terms of the agreement, Pepscan using its CLIPS technology will work with Phylogica to optimise novel therapeutic Phylomer drug candidates against CD40-ligand for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, autoimmune diseases and inflammatory disorders. Phylogica will also have an option to expand the collaboration to include an undisclosed number of other disease-associated targets. Financial details were not disclosed
Phylogica’s CEO, Dr Paul Watt, said: "We are excited to be working with Pepscan, which has world-class technology for improving the activity and stability of therapeutic peptides. We strongly believe that the combination of Pepscan’s CLIPS technology with our potent Phylomer peptides will further enhance our ability to generate breakthrough drug candidates against difficult-to-treat diseases.”
Dr Wim Mol, CEO of Pepscan, said: "We jointly recognise the perfect match of our combined technologies - Phylogica providing truly innovative peptide leads, and Pepscan applying its state-of-the-art CLIPS technology for peptide lead optimisation. We therefore believe that this agreement only forms the start of a promising and productive relationship between our two companies”.
For further information, please contact:
Phylogica
Nick Woolf
CFO & VP, Corporate Development
Tel: +61 417 986 005
nwoolf@phylogica.com
Rudi Michelson
Monsoon Communications
Tel + 61 3 9620 3333
Pepscan
Michiel Lodder, CBO
Tel: +31 320225300
m.lodder@pepscan.com
Monday 04 April 2011
04-04-2011: Pepscan appoints new Chief Business Officer
Pepscan Therapeutics, the Dutch biotech company focusing on protein mimicry for the discovery of therapeutics peptides and antibodies, announced today the appointment of Michiel Lodder as Chief Business Officer. Dr. Lodder joins Pepscan from Octoplus, where he held the position of Senior Manager Business Development, responsible for licensing, partnering, and alliance management activities.
"We are delighted to bring Michiel Lodder on board to help us exploit the enormous potential of Pepscan’s pioneering CLIPS platform for the discovery and development of therapeutic peptides and antibodies”, said Wim Mol, CEO of Pepscan. “Pepscan has recently established a number of research collaboration and licensing agreements with major pharma and biotech companies, and Michiel’s business savvy and deal-making experience make him ideal to further expand our partnership base.."
"I'm very excited to join the company at this pivotal stage” stated Lodder. "The potential of the CLIPS technology to significantly improve therapeutic peptide leads or generate antibodies against intractable targets such as GPCR’s and ion channels is far-reaching. Through successful partnering Pepscan can play an important role in the advancement of innovative peptide and antibody therapeutics.”
Michiel Lodder holds a M.Sc. in Organic Chemistry from the University of Leiden, and a PhD in Bio-Organic Chemistry from the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, VA. Throughout his career in corporate business development, he contributed or delivered numerous strategic partnerships and license deals encompassing technology platform and product deals. In his role as Director Business Development, North America he was responsible for the establishment and management of OctoPlus Inc., located in Cambridge, MA, USA.
For further information please contact Wim Mol at:
Tel: +31 320 225300
Email: info@pepscan.com
Tuesday 22 March 2011
22-03-2011: Zealand Pharma and Pepscan awarded EU grant of EUR 0.9 million for the joint development of novel peptide drugs
Copenhagen and Lelystad, Zealand Pharma (NASDAQ OMX: ZEAL), a Scandinavian based
biopharmaceutical company with a late-stage pipeline of innovative peptidebased drugs, and
Pepscan Holding NV, a Dutch peptide technology firm, today announced the joint award of an
EU research and development grant of EUR 860,000. The grant is awarded under the
EUREKA Eurostars programme for the joint development of dual acting peptide drugs. The
application by Zealand Pharma and Pepscan ranked no. 5 out of approximately 350 applications.
With the collaboration, the two companies combine their competences to develop drugs to better
treat chronic inflammations and gastrointestinal diseases, including Inflammatory Bowel Disease.
Zealand Pharma has a history of efficient discovery of therapeutic peptides and broad expertise in
the development of peptide drugs with dual activities. Pepscan has strong capabilities in the
synthesis of peptides and a unique technology platform to help optimize the activity and the stability
of therapeutic peptides.
The grant awarded to Zealand Pharma and Pepscan covers a two-year development period, which
is expected to lead to the identification of a lead dual acting peptide drug candidate ready for
preclinical development.
Christian Grøndahl, Chief Scientific Officer of Zealand Pharma, said:
“Zealand Pharma and Pepscan have complementary knowledge in the area of therapeutic peptides.
Combining Pepscan’s technology platform for peptide improvement with Zealand Pharma’s unique
expertise in the field of dual acting peptides leaves a very strong foundation for improved design of
novel drugs to more efficiently treat a number of diseases.”
Wim Mol, Chief Executive Officer of Pepscan, added:
”We are very pleased with the high international ranking which our joint project obtained. It is great
that independent European experts also recognize the potential of our technology platform and our
approach to generate superior therapeutic peptides. This grant further supports pivotal collaboration
with reputable partners.”
For further information; please contact
Zealand Pharma
David Solomon, President and CEO – Tel: +45 4328 1210 or mobile: +45 2220 6300
Hanne Leth Hillman, Vice President, Head of Investor Relations & Corporate Communications
Tel: +45 8877 3689 or Mobile: +45 5060 3689
Pepscan
Wim Mol, CEO - Tel: +31 320 225300
About the EU Eurostars programme
The “EUROSTARS” programme supports research and development performing enterprises by providing
funding for their market-oriented research activities. The Eurostars programme is managed by EUREKA –
a pan-European network for market-oriented industrial research and development.- and is collaborative,
meaning it must involve participants from at least two different EUREKA member countries. For more
information, please visit the Eurostars website: www.eurostars-eureka.eu
About Pepscan
Pepscan Holding NV is a privately held company based in Lelystad, The Netherlands. Pepscan is using
its proprietary high throughput CLIPS protein mimicking technology for the development of novel
constrained therapeutic peptides and immunogens. Besides its pipeline of proprietary anti-GPCR
monoclonal antibody products, Pepscan has various ongoing collaborations with leading pharmaceutical
and biotech companies to develop novel therapeutics based on the proprietary CLIPS technology. For
further information on Pepscan, please visit the company website: www.pepscantherapeutics.com
About Zealand Pharma
Zealand Pharma A/S is a public (NASDAQ OMX: ZEAL) Scandinavian based biopharmaceutical
company with a mature and growing clinical pipeline of innovative peptide based drugs. The company’s
lead product candidate is a once-daily GLP-1 in late-stage Phase III development for the treatment of
Type 2 Diabetes in collaboration with sanofi-aventis. Zealand Pharma also has several other collaboration
and licensing partnerships, including a license agreement with Helsinn Healthcare on a clinical stage
GLP-2 drug for the treatment of Radio and Chemotherapy-Induced Diarrhoea.
Zealand Pharma has unique expertise in peptide discovery and optimization and in the development of
novel peptide drugs with favourable therapeutic attributes. The company targets metabolic (diabetes and
obesity), gastrointestinal and cardiovascular diseases, where existing treatments fail to adequately serve
patient needs and where the market potential for improved treatments through the use of peptide drugs is
high. All of Zealand Pharma’s product candidates have been identified through the company’s own drug
discovery activities. The company is headquartered in Copenhagen and has approximately 90
employees. For more information please visit www.zealandpharma.com.
Thursday 10 March 2011
10-03-2011: Pepscan Therapeutics closes a Research and License Agreement aimed at the development of novel vaccines.
Pepscan Therapeutics, the Dutch biotechnology firm focusing on protein mimicry technology, today announces that it has signed a Research and License Agreement with Crucell Holland B.V. ("Crucell") the Dutch developer of vaccines and antibodies. In the research collaboration, Crucell will make use of Pepscan's proprietary technology and know-how in Crucell's program for developing undisclosed novel vaccines to combat infectious diseases. Under the terms of the agreement, Pepscan will receive research funding and could receive payments on the achievement by Crucell of research and clinical milestones, as well as royalties on sales of products resulting from the collaboration. Financial details of the agreement were not disclosed.
"We are very pleased to collaborate with Crucell, since we strongly believe that Pepscan's CLIPS technology combined with Crucell's expertise in vaccine development will yield breakthrough products", said Wim Mol, CEO of Pepscan. "We are convinced that Pepscan's state-of-the-art epitope mapping technology as well as our expertise in creating conformationally stabilized CLIPS peptides will greatly contribute to the development of novel vaccines. Together with our two recent R&D collaboration and licensing agreements with Tibotec Pharmaceuticals and Mercator Therapeutics, we consider this new agreement a further expression of our leadership position in lead finding and optimization of peptide drugs."
Monday 03 January 2011
03-01-2011: Mercator Therapeutics and Pepscan Therapeutics Establish Research and Licensing Collaboration
Mercator Therapeutics, the first biopharmaceutical company to systematically use in vivo phage display technology to develop novel cancer drugs and Pepscan Therapeutics, a world leader in protein mimicry technologies for improved therapeutic peptides and anti-GPCR antibodies, today announced a multi-program research collaboration. The companies will collaborate to optimize Mercator’s ‘Homing Peptides’ using Pepscan’s proprietary CLIPS technology.
Mercator’s Homing Peptides are discovered through a unique in vivo screening process, including screening in consenting end-stage cancer patients. These peptides have been demonstrated in vivo to bind to receptors that are highly expressed on human tumors and induce internalization of both the peptide and the receptor. Pepscan’s CLIPS technology will be applied to improve the potency and stability of peptides by locking the peptides into the biologically active conformation.
Dr. Roy Lobb, Chairman & CSO of Mercator, commented, “Pepscan’s approach to peptide optimization is unique, systematic, fast, and efficient, and it provides Mercator with an opportunity to rapidly move its peptide-drug conjugates (PDCs) into development.”
Under the terms of the Research and License Agreement between Mercator and Pepscan, Pepscan will increase the potency and stability of Mercator’s Homing Peptides and license to Mercator the associated intellectual property rights. Mercator will pay Pepscan undisclosed research funding, milestones, and royalties in connection with the development of optimized Homing Peptides and the development and commercialization of PDC products that couple optimized Homing Peptides with tumor-killing payloads.
“Mercator is in a unique position to make a big difference in cancer treatment,” said Dr. Wim Mol, CEO of Pepscan. “The Pepscan team is excited to work with Mercator on designing and building optimized targeting moieties for Mercator’s PDCs. We see the promise of Mercator’s technology, and we are pleased to help Mercator achieve that promise.”
About Mercator Therapeutics, Inc.
Mercator Therapeutics is the first biopharmaceutical company to use in vivo phage display technology systematically to develop novel cancer drugs. Mercator was founded to translate the research of Drs. Wadih Arap and Renata Pasqualini into effective cancer therapeutics. . Mercator is located in Waltham, Massachusetts. Contact Chris Guiffre at chris.guiffre@mercatortx.com for further information while Mercator’s website is under construction.
About Pepscan Therapeutics
Pepscan Therapeutics is a privately held company based in Lelystad, The Netherlands. Pepscan is using its proprietary high throughput CLIPS protein mimicking technology for the development of novel constrained therapeutic peptides and immunogens.
CLIPS (Chemical LInkage of Peptides onto Scaffolds) is a technology to present one or more peptides in a structurally constrained configuration. These molecules behave as functional mimics of complex protein domains. Besides its pipeline of proprietary anti-GPCR monoclonal antibody products, Pepscan has various ongoing collaborations with leading pharmaceutical and biotech companies to develop novel therapeutics based on the proprietary CLIPS technology.
Contacts:
Chris Guiffre
President & CEO
Mercator Therapeutics, Inc.
Email: chris.guiffre@mercatortx.com
Wim Mol
CEO
Pepscan Therapeutics
Tel: +31 320 225300
Email: info@pepscan.com
Tuesday 28 September 2010
28-09-2010: Pepscan Therapeutics announces establishment of Scientific Advisory Board
Pepscan Therapeutics, the Netherlands based biotechnology firm focusing on protein mimicry technology for the generation of novel therapeutics, today announced the establishment of a Scientific Advisory Board (SAB). The SAB will guide the company in the further development and application of its core protein mimicking technology for the creation of novel therapeutic peptide drugs and monoclonal antibodies.
The Scientific Advisory Board is chaired by Sir Gregory Winter, a scientific pioneer of protein engineering and therapeutic monoclonal antibodies. He invented techniques to make humanized and fully human antibodies for therapeutic uses. Winter co-founded Cambridge Antibody Technologies, Domantis and Bicycle Therapeutics and is Deputy Director at the Laboratory of Molecular Biology, as well as at the MRC Centre for Protein Engineering, in Cambridge (UK).
Other distinguished members of the Scientific Advisory Board are:
Andrew Hamilton, the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford and former Professor of Chemistry at Yale, a leading expert in the field of mimics of protein surface domains;
Andreas Plückthun, Professor of Biochemistry at the University of Zürich and co-director of the department, a renowned pioneer in the antibody, protein engineering and directed evolution field, and co-founder of Morphosys and Molecular Partners;
Reinhold Foerster, Professor of immunology at the Medical School in Hannover, and an internationally acknowledged expert on chemokine receptors.
"We are very pleased with the formation of our Scientific Advisory Board and feel honored to collaborate with this experienced team that is highly committed advising the Company on moving forward its research and development program” said Wim Mol, CEO of Pepscan. “The complementary knowledge of the renowned scientists in this team will play a significant role in our R&D programs and success of the company.”
Peter Timmerman, Chief Technology Officer of Pepscan and Professor in Protein Mimetic Chemistry at the University of Amsterdam commented: “ With this team of experts we get access to virtually all key aspects of antibody and GPCR-technology that are crucial for high-profile product discovery and development in that area. Yet it is also important to note that with this team we do not only cover expertise in antibody development, but also in the area of therapeutic peptides, a field that is rapidly growing and gaining increased interest from large pharma companies.“
Tuesday 14 September 2010
14-09-2010: Pepscan Therapeutics establishes a Research Collaboration with Tibotec Pharmaceuticals
Pepscan Therapeutics (Pepscan), the Netherlands based biotechnology firm focusing on protein mimicry technology for the generation of novel therapeutics, today announced that it has signed a Research and License Agreement with Tibotec Pharmaceuticals, Ireland (Tibotec). Under the agreement Pepscan using its CLIPS technology will work with Tibotec to develop novel therapeutic peptides against an undisclosed target. Under the terms of the agreement, Pepscan will receive R&D funding and could receive payments on the achievement of research and clinical milestones, as well as royalties on sales of products resulting from the collaboration. Financial details of the agreement were not disclosed.
"Pepscan has recently realigned its R&D program to focus on the application of its proprietary CLIPS protein mimicry technology for the generation of novel therapeutic peptides and immunogens", said Wim Mol, CEO of Pepscan. "We are very pleased that Tibotec has decided to enter into a collaboration agreement with Pepscan that will utilize the CLIPS technology. We are convinced that our strong technology and expertise can yield improved peptides with superior activity and proteolytic stability, all this with a significantly shorter peptide." “We consider this agreement a further expression of our leadership position in the field of protein mimicry”, he added.
Wednesday 01 September 2010
01-09-2010: Oprichter Pepscan gehuldigd bij afscheid
Prof. Dr. Rob Meloen, de oprichter van het biotechbedrijf Pepscan, heeft op 1 september met een wetenschappelijk symposium afscheid genomen van Pepscan. Tijdens deze bijeenkomst is Meloen door de Provincie Flevoland gehuldigd vanwege het belang van Pepscan voor de life science sector in deze provincie. Namens de provincie Flevoland reikte Andries Greiner, gedeputeerde voor Economische Zaken, Meloen een onderscheiding uit voor zijn verdiensten.
Uit handen van Greiner ontving Meloen een plastiek van het provinciale symbool , de ‘Kiekendief’. In zijn toespraak benadrukte Greiner de groei van Pepscan en de belangrijke positie van het bedrijf voor de biotech innovatie in Flevoland. Pepscan heeft zich onder de wetenschappelijke leiding van Meloen in tien jaar ontwikkeld tot een internationaal vooraanstaand biotech bedrijf op het gebied van ‘protein mimicry’, het nabootsen van het actieve deel van een eiwit. Op basis van haar innovatieve en gepatenteerde peptidetechnologiën ontwikkelt Pepscan momenteel nieuwe therapeutische peptiden en monoklonale antilichamen. Ook heeft Pepscan meerdere samenwerkingsovereenkomsten met leidende farma- en biotechbedrijven om nieuwe geneesmiddelen te ontwikkelen met behulp van Pepscan’s gepatenteerde CLIPS technologie.
Tijdens het symposium werden presentaties gehouden door zeer vooraanstaande wetenschappers, zoals Prof. Andrew Hamilton, de topbestuurder van de Oxford Universiteit, Sir Gregory Winter, de antilichaampionier en oprichter van bedrijven als Cambridge Antibody Technologies en Domantis, en Prof. Jan van de Winkel, CEO van het farmaceutisch bedrijf Genmab.
“Pepscan is Rob Meloen veel dank verschuldigd voor zijn enerverende en stimulerende bijdrage aan de ontwikkeling van ons bedrijf”, aldus Wim Mol, CEO van Pepscan. “ Zijn vernieuwende ideeën hebben Pepscan gemaakt tot een biotech bedrijf met goede toekomstperspectieven, dat zich concentreert op de ontwikkeling van veelbelovende nieuwe therapeutische peptiden en monoklonale antilichamen”.
De taken van Rob Meloen als wetenschappelijk directeur zijn eerder dit jaar overgenomen door Chief Technology Officer Dr. Peter Timmerman en Chief Development Officer Dr. Klaus Schwamborn.
Wednesday 28 April 2010
28-04-2010: Pepscan signs partnering agreement with Immunovo for its therapeutic vaccin portfolio
Pepscan, the Netherlands based biotechnology firm focusing on protein mimicking technology for the generation of immune therapeutics, today announced that it reached a partnering agreement for its therapeutic vaccine portfolio with Immunovo BV of ‘s-Hertogenbosch. Under the terms of the agreement Pepscan will receive an undisclosed cash payment as well as a minority interest in Immunovo.
“Pepscan has recently refocused its R&D program on the application of its proprietary CLIPSTM protein mimicry technology for the generation of monoclonal antibodies and therapeutic peptides”, said Wim Mol, CEO of Pepscan. “The agreement with Immunovo allows Pepscan to fully concentrate its resources on a focused execution of its research program. We consider Immunovo as an ideal partner to enhance the value of the therapeutic vaccine portfolio we have developed over the years.”
“We are very pleased with the partnership with Pepscan on the therapeutic vaccine portfolio” said Joost van Bree, CEO of Immunovo. ”Pepscan created a rich development pipeline of therapeutic vaccines, of which the most advanced product is in Phase II clinical development. We are confident that with our specific expertise we will be able to expedite the development of this portfolio, which also includes a proprietary anti-VEGF-A vaccine that could be useful for the treatment of certain cancers.”