Medvet licenses cell line for cancer antibody

South Australia’s Medvet Science has licensed a cell line from ACYTE Biotech to produce its monoclonal cancer antibody APOMAB.

Medvet has arranged to use ACYTE’s XL-99 Chinese hamster ovary cell line to produce APOMAB in the quantities potentially required for clinical applications.

Medvet is producing the antibody for the diagnosis and treatment of cancers. Its target is La/SSB, an essential ribonucleoprotein component found in all cancers.

XL-99 is a fully characterised, cGMP banked, CHO-K1 parental cell line capable of producing monoclonal antibodies at high yields and cell density.

Medvet is currently undertaking clinical proof-of-concept development of APOMAB at the Royal Adelaide Hospital. The hospital’s head of cancer clinical trials, Professor Michael Brown, is guiding the development.

Medvet’s sole shareholder is the Central Adelaide Local Health Network (CALHN), a division of the government department SA Health.

“For clinical efficacy studies of APOMAB, and potential commercial production, we require a cell line capable of producing clinically viable amounts of the antibody, with high cell density at low cost of goods,” Brown commented.

“Our ongoing work with ACYTE indicates that XL-99 will achieve these aims and provide a productive cell line which can be easily transferred to our CMOs.”