Alpha Cancer Technologies to License AbSci's SoluPro Strain for the Expression of Alpha-Fetoprotein

VANCOUVER, Wash., July 21, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- AbSci, a growth-stage synthetic biology company whose Protein Printing™ technology enables rapid and low-cost biomanufacturing of difficult-to-produce biotherapeutics, today announced that it has entered into an agreement to license its E. coli SoluPro® protein expression technology to Alpha Cancer Technologies for the production of Recombinant Human Alpha-fetoprotein (hAFP). hAFP is a natural human protein produced by human embryo and yolk sac during development and can be used in the treatment of various autoimmune diseases and cancers.  This license is an expansion of a previous collaboration between the parties that began last year.

Igor Sherman, CEO of Alpha Cancer Technologies comments, "AbSci has demonstrated the superiority of their SoluPro expression platform and their high throughput approach of producing very difficult to express protein. While we use a transgenic expression system for our cGMP material, many have tried using conventional expression platforms and have been unsuccessful. This is a truly enabling platform that provides an expanded commercialization pathway for ACT and will allow us to significantly expand our patent life and IP portfolio"

"Alpha fetoprotein is a very challenging molecule to express. With 16 disulfide bonds which are important for its function it has proven to be very difficult to produce in commonly used expression systems," said Sean McClain, AbSci CEO. "By using our E. coli SoluPro® cell line and proprietary high throughput assays we were able to screen millions of genetically diverse expression solutions to find the ideal solution for Alpha Cancer Technologies"

Under the terms of the agreement AbSci will prepare the hAFP producing E. coli strain for transfer to Alpha Cancer Technologies' CMO of choice for commercial production. Alpha Cancer Technologies will receive an exclusive license to the producing cell line and related patents from AbSci. AbSci will receive undisclosed development and sales milestones plus royalties on the annual net sales.

About AbSci
AbSci is a global leader and innovator of revolutionary biomanufacturing technologies, designing and programming cells for next-generation biopharmaceuticals. AbSci's Protein Printing™ technology is the new gold standard in protein production, as it increases discovery throughput, accelerates development, reduces manufacturing costs, and increases plant capacity for the biopharmaceutical industry. Its patented SoluPro™ expression platform rapidly produces complex proteins, ranging from mAbs, Fabs, enzymes, hormones and peptides, to emerging novel classes of biotherapeutics. For more information, please visit https://www.absci.com.

About Alpha Cancer        
Alpha Cancer Technologies Inc. (ACT) is a private clinical stage biotechnology company with products under development in immunotherapy (Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Multiple Sclerosis, Myasthenia Gravis, Hashimoto) and immuno-oncology (almost all solid and liquid tumors uniquely express the receptor for AFP). The company's drug platforms use proprietary recombinant human alpha fetoprotein (AFP).

ACT has exclusive worldwide rights to AFP with over $115 million spent on the development of the in-licensed technology. Clinical studies of AFP have demonstrated safety in over 300 patients and established a robust Drug Master file with the FDA including manufacturing, toxicology, and human safety.  Bristol Myers Squibb owns a 14% equity interest in ACT. 

For more information please visit www.alpha-cancer.com 

SOURCE AbSci

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