Same road, different paths

Although competitors Idec Pharmaceuticals Corp. and Coulter Pharmaceutical Inc. are developing antibodies to treat cancer, their partnering strategies for drug discovery differ. IDPH is taking an upstream approach to collaborations, looking for a genomics partner able to provide gene discovery and validation. CLTR is looking slightly further downstream for both antigen targets and antibody generation technologies, as exemplified by last week's deal with Medarex Inc. under which CLTR received access to MEDX's HuMAb-Mouse technology to generate human monoclonal antibodies.

With internal capabilities in phage display, antibody humanization, and the generation of human antibodies through the deal with MEDX (Princeton, N.J.), CLTR has an external focus on antigen selection. "There's a large number of good antigens in the public domain - this is the first place we look," said Geoffrey Yarranton, senior vice president of R&D. "You can make these antigens proprietary through methods of use or a particular epitope."...