Alpha Biologics awarded development contract from Inserm
Babraham, United Kingdom, October 28th 2008. Alpha Biologics UK Ltd has been awarded a contract to develop a Master Cell Bank and a cGMP production process for a monoclonal antibody conjugated to a Fluorescent dye under cGMP conditions from INSERM. The resulting conjugate is intended for toxicology studies and clinical trials. This conjugate will be used to target and detect tumour cells during surgery in patients with peritoneal carcinomatosis from colorectal cancer.
Alpha Biologics Development Director Rodney Smith said "We are very pleased to be working with INSERM on this exciting project which will utilise our experience in both process development and manufacturing. We look forward to being part of the success of this product with INSERM".
About INSERM: This project has been launched within the Institut de Recherche en Cancérologie de Montpellier (Montpellier Cancer Research Institute), an institute gathering research teams devoted to cancer. IRCM is a joint venture between Inserm (National Health and Medical Research Organisation), CRLC Val d'Aurelle-Paul Lamarque (Clinical Cancer Center in Montpellier) and University Montpellier 1. Its research projects are organized according three scientific themes: Nuclear receptors and hormone-dependent cancers, Cancer profiling and Therapeutic antibodies (for a more detailed information see www.ircm.fr).
The main purpose of the institute is to develop diagnostic and therapeutic strategies within a global approach including basic investigators and clinicians. As a result, this pooling of talents allows IRCM to tackle efficiently the three major topics of modern cancer research: the identification of novel targets, the study of molecular mechanisms and the therapeutic innovations. The conjugate that will be produced by Alpha Biologics is intended to be injected to patients after toxicology studies have been validated by regulatory authorities. Dr. André Pèlegrin, head of IRCM and at the origin of the immunophotodetection technology said "Our goal is to provide surgeons with a tool that will help them detect cancerous nodules that would have been otherwise invisible and left untreated. We look forward to the completion of the project and to the transfer of the conjugate we developed in our lab to the bedside of the patients."
About Alpha Biologics: Alpha Biologics is a contract manufacturer of biologics drugs for use in pre-clinical, Phase 1 and 2 clinical trials. Established with the support of the Malaysian Government in 2003, the company's main 5,000 sq meter manufacturing unit is based in purpose-built cGMP compliant facilities on the Penang Science Park in Malaysia. Its European HQ is located on the Babraham Research Campus five miles south of Cambridge in the UK.
The company specializes in the production of mammalian cell secreted protein drugs. On the completion of its Penang facility in 2009, Alpha Biologics will provide all of the necessary services required to develop and produce drugs in full compliance with U.S. and European cGMP guidelines. Alpha Biologics will be able to offer Biotech and Pharmaceutical companies significant cost advantages due to the strategic positioning of it's manufacturing in Asia.
For more information, please contact: Michelle Peake Alpha Biologics COO Michelle.Peake@alphabiologics.com
