Hopefully Merck will be interested in this!
Merck and Diversa to Collaborate on Development of Novel Therapeutic Antibody
San Diego, CA, January 11, 2005 - Diversa Corporation (Nasdaq: DVSA) announced that it has signed an agreement with Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE: MRK) to collaborate on the development of therapeutic antibodies for a key target by applying Diversa’s proprietary MedEv™ platform. Under the terms of the agreement, Diversa will receive an upfront payment and research funding. No additional financial terms were disclosed.
“Through this collaboration, we intend to leverage the skills and strengths of both companies to develop novel antibodies for an important clinical indication where there is significant unmet medical need,” said Gary W. Noon, Diversa’s Senior Vice President, Pharmaceuticals.
Dr. Jay M. Short, Diversa’s President and Chief Executive Officer, added, “This collaboration complements and extends our internal strategy to develop superior products in the area of protein-based therapeutics.”
About Diversa’s MedEv™ Platform
Two protein engineering technology platforms patented by Diversa comprise the MedEv™ antibody optimization platform: Gene Site Saturation Mutagenesis™ (GSSM™) and GeneReassembly™ technologies. Combined with high-throughput screening, these patented techniques yield a complete picture of the detailed functional behavior of every variant derived from a candidate antibody. |
