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ARTICLE | Emerging Company Profile

NBE: Enzymatic ADCs

NBE's enzymatic ADCs carry multiple payloads, no mutagenesis required

June 16, 2014 7:00 AM UTC

NBE-Therapeutics AG's enzymatic technology allows for the conjugation of multiple payloads to a non-mutagenic mAb in cell culture. NBE expects the resulting multi-warhead mAbs will be able to attack cancers from a variety of angles.

First-generation conjugation technologies from ImmunoGen Inc. and Seattle Genetics Inc. attached a toxin to naturally occurring amino acids in the mAb. This process led to heterogeneous drug mixtures of antibodies that had different amounts of toxin attached. In addition, some toxins could end up attached to the mAb's binding site and thus reduce its ability to bind the antigen...