GTC Biotherapeutics (fka GTCB)

[DewDiligence]

Update on another player in the ADCC arena:

http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/070530/new017.html?.v=7

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BioWa and Takeda Announce Licensing of BioWa's POTELLIGENT® Technology for Use in Antibody Research and Development

Wednesday May 30, 3:01 am ET

PRINCETON, N.J. and OSAKA, Japan, May 30 /PRNewswire/ -- BioWa, Inc. (BioWa) and Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited announced today that they have entered into an agreement which provides Takeda with access to BioWa's patented POTELLIGENT® Technology platform for the development of antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) enhanced antibodies.

The agreement grants Takeda non-exclusive rights to research, develop, manufacture and commercialize antibodies based on POTELLIGENT® Technology for an undisclosed number of targets. In return, BioWa will receive an upfront, license fees, development milestone payments and also royalties on products developed by Takeda once they are successfully marketed. Other details of the agreement are not disclosed.

"We are delighted to be working with one of recognized industry leaders like Takeda," said Dr. Masamichi Koike, President and CEO of BioWa. "With Takeda's expertise in drug development and commercialisation, this collaboration reinforces BioWa's mission to bring the benefit of POTELLIGENT® Technology to patients as quickly as possible."

"We believe that the collaboration with BioWa, Inc. will accelerate our drug discovery and development activities in therapeutic antibodies, a field that is expected to be potential as an important source of new medicines to satisfy unmet medical needs," said Shigenori Ohkawa, PhD, General Manager of Pharmaceutical Research Division of Takeda.

About POTELLIGENT® Technology

POTELLIGENT® Technology improves potency and efficacy of antibody therapeutics, by enhancing antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC), one of the major mechanism of antibody therapeutics. POTELLIGENT® Technology involves the reduction of the amount of fucose in the carbohydrate structure of an antibody using a proprietary fucosyltransferase-knockout CHO cell line as a production cell. Research shows that POTELLIGENT® Technology significantly enhances ADCC activity of an antibody in vitro, thereby increasing the potential for improved activity in vivo.

About BioWa, Inc.

BioWa is a wholly owned subsidiary of Kyowa Hakko Kogyo Co., Ltd., Japan's pharmaceutical and largest biotech company, and is the exclusive worldwide licensor of POTELLIGENT® Technology, which creates high ADCC monoclonal antibodies. Currently, BioWa is developing ADCC enhanced monoclonal antibody- based therapeutics to fight cancer and other life-threatening and debilitating diseases and both BioWa and Kyowa have POTELLIGENT® antibody products in various clinical stages. BioWa creates and develops enhanced ADCC antibodies for itself and others, offering a full range of antibody discovery and development capabilities. For more information about BioWa, visit its web site at www.biowa.com.

About Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited

Located in Osaka, Japan, Takeda is a research-based global company with its main focus on pharmaceuticals. As the largest pharmaceutical company in Japan and one of the global leaders of the industry, Takeda is committed to striving toward better health for individuals and progress in medicine by developing superior pharmaceutical products. Additional information about Takeda is available through its corporate website, www.takeda.com.
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