Expression of Defined Antibody Combinations

Merus B.V. announced that it has been granted the first European patent covering its Oligoclonics® technology from a patent family that already comprises 4 issued US patents. The Oligoclonics® technology entails the manufacturing of at least three antibodies with different specificities by a single production cell line, thereby providing combinations of human antibodies as a single therapeutic.

Clinical trials and disease models show that combinations of antibodies are more efficacious than therapies based on single monoclonal antibodies alone. The Oligoclonics® technology offers a platform for the stable, high-yield production of fully human, natural IgG antibody combinations by a single cell line. It uses strategies currently exploited for conventional monoclonal antibodies in a manner that is cost-effective and acceptable to regulatory authorities.

“The therapeutic antibody field is moving towards combination therapies, either by combining individual monoclonal antibodies or by applying bi-specific formats, to overcome the limited potency of monoclonal antibodies often observed in indications like oncology,” said Ton Logtenberg, CEO of Merus. “The Oligoclonics® technology provides a platform that allows for the cost-effective development and manufacturing of multispecific combinations of antibodies with more potent clinical effects. The key to the Oligoclonics® technology is that all antibodies produced by the clonal manufacturing cell line share a common light chain (cLC). With our recent announcement of MeMo®, a transgenic mouse for the generation of human cLC monoclonal antibodies, we are complementing our technology base with the aim to expand our pipeline of innovative cLC antibody products.”