New vista over epitopes

Visterra Inc. came out of stealth mode last month when Pfizer Inc. did a deal to use the biotech's protein structure analysis technology to discover antibodies against epitopes of proteins implicated in undisclosed indications. Visterra thinks its platform is a more efficient and effective way to discover antibodies than traditional mAb screening methods.

Under the deal, Visterra will receive an upfront payment and research funding, and will be eligible for R&D milestones plus royalties. Both partners declined to provide details on financial terms, targets or indications in the deal, which is Visterra's first...