Abcam and BrickBio announce partnership to incorporate conjugation-ready sites into antibodies

Abcam plc, a global life science reagents and tools company, has announced a strategic partnership with BrickBio, experts in site-specific protein modification. The partnership covers the use of BrickBio’s proprietary platform for introducing conjugation-ready sites into antibodies and other proteins in both mammalian and bacterial expression systems.

Under the partnership, Abcam will have rights to the platform for the creation of novel conjugation-ready recombinant products for the research tools market, as well as rights to commercialize the platform across its recombinant antibody and protein portfolio for diagnostic use. In addition, Abcam will make a financial investment in BrickBio and work together with the BrickBio team to further industrialize the platform.

BrickBio’s platform provides the ability to site-selectively modify proteins in a broad range of eukaryotic and bacterial cell lines. Using a proprietary engineered tRNA synthetase/tRNA pair, the platform can readily incorporate unnatural amino acids that can then be coupled to a second molecule for labeling or other research applications, or to create protein-conjugate therapeutics including Antibody-Drug-Conjugates (ADCs).

Commenting on the partnership and investment, Cheri Walker, SVP of Corporate Development at Abcam, said: “We are excited about the opportunity to partner with BrickBio, an innovative team that has developed one of the most exciting technologies that we have seen in the recombinant antibody space. The market needs easy and reliable conjugation-ready solutions, and together, Abcam and BrickBio plan to deliver these solutions to the market. We are committed to incorporate this technology across our in-house recombinant antibody and protein portfolios.”

John Boyce, CEO of BrickBio, commented: “With one of the largest and highest quality recombinant antibody portfolios in the market, Abcam was a natural fit to be our exclusive partner to take our technology to scientific researchers. We are excited to work together to further industrialize the platform and see it widely introduced into the research segment of the market. At the same time, BrickBio will focus on becoming a critical platform for therapeutic partners, enabling biopharma clients to solve difficult protein-based drug development needs, helping to build high performing protein therapeutics, such as ADCs, for controlled labeling and manufacturing.”

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