Unichip products of Protagen are versatile research tools that enable faster antibody development by rapidly identifying the most specific antibody candidates at an early stage of development
Protagen has announced a partnership with the Centre for Applied Proteomics (ZAP), Dortmund, Schunde Kangdi Antibody Biotech, Foshan, China and the Beijing Proteome Research Centre (Beijing PRC) at the Internautional Symposium on High Performance Proteomics in Dortmund.
The involvement of Protagen in the collaboration will be to develop tailor-made protein biochips that can be used to analyse quantitative antibody binding profiles, as well as any off-target activities of antibody candidates.
ZAP will use Unichip to assess around 200 monoclonal antibodies, generated by Schunde Kangdi Antibody Biotech and Beijing PRC.
The results will be used to identify those antibodies that are most promising for future developument as research tools or therapeutics or for use in diagnostic kits.
The industrial partners are sharing the worldwide commercialization rights for the antibodies analysed.
Professor Helmut Meyer, head of the Human Brain Proteome Project and director of ZAP, and Professor Fuchu He, head of the Human Liver Proteome Project and president of the Beijing PRC, will share the scientific leadership on the project.
The two institutes have already worked together for a number of years within the framework of the Human Proteome Organisation (Hupo).
Christoph Huels, CEO of Protagen said: "As far as I am aware, this is the first collaboration in the area of antibody development between Germany and China where research institutes and biotech companies from both countries are equally involved.
"This project exemplifies the ever increasing importance of international cooperation in biotechnology to help speed up the delivery of innovative products to the market.
"The fact that our Unichip products are being used to aid antibody development in China, demonstrates both our international reach and the benefits that our products can bring to the drug discovery and development process".
Professor Meyer said: "As the proteome is so much more complex than the genome, it is more costly to research.
"It is therefore useful to work with a number of partners to draw on a wide range of experience and pool resources.
"We are looking forward to working with Protagen and tapping into the company's extenusive experience in protein research to help us achieve our goals."
