BioProcess International: Abzena CSO talks strategic discovery and development partnership with Mabqi

The two biotech companies are collaborating to offer an end-to-end solution, while also eyeing manufacturing.

Contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) Abzena has announced the formation of a strategic partnership with biotechnology firm Mabqi.

The partnership will integrate Mabqi’s antibody discovery expertise with Abzena’s development and manufacturing services. The partners seek to offer customers a streamlined end-to-end development solution that leverages each company’s strengths, enabling drug developers to transition from discovery through lead candidate selection into clinical development.

The companies will take advantage of Abzena’s capabilities in developability, cell line development, process development, and GMP manufacturing while using Mabqi’s LiteMab Antibody Discovery Studio to identify lead candidates.

According to Campbell Bunce, CSO of Abzena, the partnership will reduce timelines and derisk projects while easing knowledge transfer, allowing both organizations to work toward a common goal.

Bunce told BioProcess Insider that Abzena’s antibody drug conjugate (ADC) experience and capabilities increase the likelihood of success in the clinic and beyond. “It’s also about what advantages can be brought forward into manufacturing,” he said. “What we learn at the R&D scale is invaluable to larger-scale process development and scale-up.”

Although the partnership starts in the early stages of research and development, Bunce said it also allows for seamless progression into biomanufacturing. “This [partnership] addresses current manufacturing bottlenecks because it removes the white space of needing to tech transfer between additional vendors to support scale-up and manufacture for clinical and commercial supply. It simplifies and streamlines the supply chain for customers.”

Also regarding the future, Bunce told us that his company is keeping a sharp eye on emerging technologies such as those powered by AI. “Innovations in AI are something that we are very interested in implementing to accelerate discovery to lead selection timelines and streamline our systems and processes to get better drugs to patients faster.”

“Our strategic partnership with Abzena marks a significant milestone in offering an integrated antibody discovery-through-development solution by combining our complementary scientific expertise and advanced capabilities,” said Sylvain Yon, CEO of Mabqi in the original release. “Together, we are poised to accelerate the development of differentiated therapeutic antibodies that can make a meaningful impact for patients worldwide.”

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