Heidelberg and Jena, Germany – 3 September 2019 – Velabs Therapeutics GmbH (Velabs), a biotech company focused on the rapid screening of functional therapeutic antibodies, today announces that it has entered into a partnership agreement with alytas therapeutics GmbH (alytas), to jointly develop modulatory and functional antibodies for a novel immune-based therapy against obesity. The collaboration will leverage Velabs’ proprietary microfluidic-based technology for rapid functional antibody screening. Velabs will be entitled to royalties from the worldwide sales of products that result from the collaboration.
Velabs Therapeutics is a pioneer in microfluidic technology for the screening of antibodies with modulatory function on complex signaling proteins. Its proprietary high-throughput screening platform makes it possible to test millions of correctly paired, fully natural human and mouse IgGs for therapeutic effects. Results are achieved in only a fraction of the time required by other technologies. The Company offers customized screening services for users worldwide. In addition to the execution of service projects, Velabs is currently building its own pipeline of therapeutic antibody candidates for further joint development with pharmaceutical partners.
Alytas specializes in the research of fat metabolism in connection with obesity, and has identified and validated target genes for the development of a novel immune-based obesity treatment. Its program is based on a number of proprietary protein epitopes with high relevance for the immunological regulation of excess adipocytes, and has already been conceptually confirmed in vitro and in vivo.
“We are pleased to have reached this partnership agreement with alytas, which will allow for the development of a completely new treatment option for obesity. The collaboration will benefit from our expertise in rapid screening and the generation of functional antibodies on complex signaling proteins. This knowledge will be instrumental in developing a first mover immunotherapy for obesity and can help to significantly reduce the global increase in associated co-morbidities such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease.”
About Velabs Therapeutics
Velabs Therapeutics, financed by Swiss-based Xlife Sciences Ltd., is a spin-off company launched by Europe’s most renowned institute for life sciences research, the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) and its technology transfer arm EMBLEM Technology Transfer (EMBLEM). The institute has an outstanding track record in instrumentation development and is at the forefront of microfluidics-based screening technology and applications worldwide.
The Company’s droplet-based microfluidic screening technology is designed to rapidly generate antibodies against target molecules presented on cellular membrane surfaces or as a soluble protein. Velabs has pioneered the use of droplet microfluidics for the rapid screening of correctly paired human antibodies; the antibodies found by Velabs not only bind to a drug target, but can also modulate its function.
For further information please visit www.velabs-therapeutics.com.
About alytas therapeutics
alytas therapeutics GmbH is a spin-off of the University of Jena with the aim to develop a therapeutic antibody for the treatment of morbid obesity. The Company, which is financed and managed by the Swiss-based Xlife Sciences Ltd., has know-how and patents on several antigenic epitopes with proven relevance to novel therapeutic immune-based regulation of excessive amounts of adipocytes in patients with obesity. The founders of alytas have been working for many years in the field of obesity and their current treatment hypothesis is based on in vitro and in vivo data from humans and animals. The company is set up as a Lean Project Management Engine with various core partnerships.
For further information please visit www.alytas.com.