Dyax Corp. and CSIRO Form Joint Antibody Discovery Collaboration in Oncology
Wednesday November 29, 7:30 am ET
CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dyax Corp. (Nasdaq: DYAX - News) and the Division of Molecular and Health Technologies of the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Australia's national scientific research agency, announced today that they have entered into a collaboration for the discovery and development of therapeutic antibodies to treat cancer.
During the discovery phase of the collaboration, Dyax will utilize its proprietary antibody libraries to screen for clinical candidates, and CSIRO will provide reagents and in vitro assays, as well as certain in vivo and preclinical development work. Upon successful completion of the discovery work, CSIRO and Dyax will have the option to advance the antibody lead(s) into clinical development under the terms of a global co-development and commercialization agreement.
"We are pleased to have entered into this collaboration with CSIRO, and are confident that Dyax's antibody libraries will again produce first quality clinical leads that may provide a novel approach to treating cancer," commented Henry E. Blair, Chairman and CEO of Dyax.
"The Dyax antibody libraries, screening capabilities and expertise in drug discovery and development make them the right partner to advance our cancer research program into novel antibody therapeutics," said Dr. Graeme Woodrow of CSIRO.
About Dyax
Dyax is focused on advancing novel biotherapeutics for unmet medical needs, with an emphasis on oncology and inflammatory indications. Dyax utilizes its proprietary drug discovery technology to identify antibody, small protein and peptide compounds for clinical development.
Dyax's lead product candidate is DX-88, a recombinant small protein that is currently in clinical trials for its therapeutic potential in two separate indications. In its joint venture with Genzyme Corporation, Dyax has successfully completed three Phase II trials and a pivotal Phase III trial of DX-88 for the treatment of hereditary angioedema (HAE). A confirmatory study, known as EDEMA4, is planned and expected to begin in the first quarter of 2007. DX-88 has orphan drug designation in the U.S. and E.U., as well as Fast Track designation in the U.S. for the treatment of acute attacks of HAE.
Independently, Dyax has successfully completed a Phase I/II trial of DX-88 for the prevention of blood loss during on-pump CABG procedures. Dyax is currently planning a Phase IIb trial for further development of DX-88 in on-pump cardiothoracic surgery (CTS), including CABG and valve procedures.
Dyax identified DX-88 and other compounds in its pipeline using its patented phage display technology, which rapidly selects compounds that bind with high affinity and specificity to therapeutic targets. Dyax leverages this technology broadly with over 70 revenue generating licenses and collaborations for therapeutic discovery, as well as in non-core areas such as affinity separations, diagnostic imaging, and research reagents.
Dyax is headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and has antibody discovery facilities in Liege, Belgium. For online information about Dyax Corp., please visit www.dyax.com.
About CSIRO
CSIRO is Australia's national science agency and one of the largest and most diverse scientific research organisations in the world.
CSIRO's role is to deliver great science and innovative solutions for industry, society and the environment. CSIRO works on new ways to improve the quality of life, as well as the economic and social performance of a number of industry sectors such as health, agriculture, manufacturing, the environment and ICT.
CSIRO is Australia's largest provider of biotechnology research with strengths in genomics, medicinal chemistry, protein engineering, structural biology and biomaterials. For more information on CSIRO, please visit www.csiro.au. |
